The NOVA series focuses on species of flora and fauna that are new to scientific literature within the last 20 years. Many scientists believe that of all living things on earth, perhaps only 10 to 15 percent have been given a Latin name and assigned a place in the larger picture of evolution. Each of the four canvases in this series depicts plants and animals specific to a different layer of the rainforest environment—forest floor, understory, or canopy. These organisms are from many continents and would never be seen together in real life; the ecosystems pictured are thus idealized scenes, existing only in the imagination.

forestfloor understory canopy canopy