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Salt Marsh Ecosystem, 2025         28x32        watercolor and gouache on watercolor paper   

Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni), 2025, 5x7, watercolor
Semi-palmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), 2025, 5x7 watercolor
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes), 2025, 10x14, watercolor
Saltmeadow cordgrass (Spartina patens), 2025, 5x7, watercolor
Glasswort (Salicornia europaea), 2025, 5x7, watercolor
Carolina Sea-lavender (Limonium carolinianum), 2025, 5x7, watercolor
Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), 2025, 5x7, watercolor

Common Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus), 2025, 5x7, watercolor
Sea-Run Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), 2025, 5x7, watercolor
Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax), 2025, 5x7, watercolor
This series of paintings was commissioned by the Downeast Salmon Federation for their salt marsh restoration project on the West Branch of the Pleasant River, located in Addison Point, Maine. 

In addition to providing vital habiat for a multitude of plants and animals, salt marshes are carbon sinks: marsh grasses (such as Spartina Alterniflora and Spartina Patens) absorb carbon from the air and keep it trapped within their root mass inside the marsh peat. Salt marshes remove 10x more carbon from the air than rainforests. 
contact: maesie.halliday@gmail.com