Helen Pennington, plant pathologist and artist, is working with the BSPP to produce a plant pathogens calendar.
This calendar will feature plant diseases which can be found in the UK, within gardens, allotments, parks, fields or the countryside. The diseases in question have been selected to correspond with the months in which they can be found, and feature the symptoms caused by the pathogens.
The paintings/drawings are being created using synthetic ink, glass pens and paintbrushes on acid-free watercolour paper.
“Lawn Daisy Rust” (Puccinia distincta infecting Bellis perennis) is featured above.
Daisy rust is caused by the fungus Puccinia distincta. It infects both wild and cultivated daisies. This rust fungus was first reported in the UK in 1996, but has since become more common, and can now be found across Europe. Daisy rust is most commonly observed in Summer and Autumn.
Infected leaves can be pale, stand more erect, and have rust blisters with cluster-cups (aecium/aecia) on both surfaces.
Read more about the plant pathology promotions fund here:
Examples of Helen’s other work can be seen on her twitter page @hgpennington.
Ink painting/drawing of peach leaf curl disease, caused by Taphrina deformans pic.twitter.com/ykn8Ugxt56
— Helen Pennington (@hgpennington) April 24, 2022
