tThis painting reconstructs a late Carboniferous coal-swamp ecosystem based on material from Brymbo, North Wales.

The forest is dominated by arborescent lycopsids such as Lepidodendron and Sigillaria, with stands of Calamites occupying wetter ground. Such waterlogged environments contributed to the accumulation of thick peat deposits that later formed the Coal Measures.

The flora reflects typical Westphalian swamp vegetation of approximately 310 million years ago. Insects are included to represent the diverse arthropod fauna known from Carboniferous deposits.