Story behind the art of Margaret Best

Curious Allies: Mutualism in Fungi, Parasites, and Carnivores

The Fifth New York Botanical Garden Triennial

Honey Mushrooms

Armillaria mellea

Armillaria mellea (honey mushrooms) are found throughout North America, mostly in hardwood forests. They are often referred to as natural forest recycling agents in that their distinct habitat preference is decaying wood and felled stumps. However, in areas of only young forest growth or fruit trees, they can become parasitic by attacking healthy trees at the root level. Fruit farmers tend to destroy them as soon as they are encountered. Other than a sought-after food source for some mushroom foragers, I have not encountered any mention of a beneficial economic value. In fact, the opposite seems to be true in instances where they attack healthy hardwood or fruit trees.

They are always found in clusters and often in multiple clusters, which is useful for foragers. While they’re considered a delectable food source, in rare instances mature honey mushrooms have been known to cause stomach upsets. The epithet mellea means “of honey” but it refers to the coloring of the caps and is not a reference to flavor.

I can easily find clusters on our property growing on decaying wood, but they’re seldom in a desirable state for depiction because slugs and squirrels target them as soon as they appear. The cluster of three that I found for this painting was in unusually good condition. For context, I included some of the forest floor of dried pine needles, broken cones, and lichen-covered twigs where they were found.

This was one of many enjoyable fungi paintings I have completed since moving to Nova Scotia, where mushrooms are abundant in the forests during the mild fall weather. I particularly enjoyed the delicate markings, the detail in the forest floor content, and the pleasure of working with the watercolor greys, yellows, and salmon pink.

Living in Nova Scotia has boosted my interest in lichens and mushrooms, the mosses that are found growing with them, and their relationship with trees. I’ve had the pleasure of taking many enjoyable foraging walks with local mycologists and a lichenologist who have been a great help with specific identifications and are always veritable fonts of fascinating facts.

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Read more about this artist's work: 25th Annual