Here we are immersed in a temperate forest in the floodplain of the Ohio River. This ecosystem must withstand months of flooding over the winter season as river levels increase due to more precipitation, persist significant erosion during floods and receding river levels, and tolerate comparatively dry seasons over the summer and fall months. Although floods can present challenges to this riparian ecosystem, floods provide beneficial deposits of river silt rich in nutrients, recharge groundwater and soil moisture, and can help control invasive species that are not flood-adapted, giving native riparian plants an advantage to survival.