During the floods (also known as a freshet) a Cottonwood Forest becomes habitat for spawning rainbow trout and other juvenile fish. During this time, the roses are blooming as are the little white queen’s cup and yarrow. All of these are found in the Cottonwood forests which are so important to both terrestrial and aquatic species. 
This is part of my Flora and Fauna series. I want to capture an ecosystem during a specific point in time and show interrelated species and how they interact. 

I get a lot of my inspiration from nature and this particular painting was inspired by a flooded Cottonwood forest in 2021. I became really interested by the fish swimming among the ferns and flowers. Then, I learned that flooded forests offer beneficial habitat to juvenile fish and I fell even more in love.