screenshot not found by gmail

When I take a screenshot, I can see it in my finder menu, where it is saved to my desktop. When I am using gmail, if I want to attach that screenshot to my email, I click the gmail paperclip to add the screenshot to the email. However, the screenshot no longer shows as a file on my desktop, so I can attach it. If I search finder it comes up in the search result & I can attach from there but this is a nuisance. I am using Mac Catalina 10.15.7. I'd love to know how to fix this, thanks.