Beatrix Potter’s fungi illustrations reveal early mycological insight

British author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, best known for children’s books such as *The Tale of Peter Rabbit*, was also a dedicated naturalist. In the years before fungi were recognised as a separate kingdom, she produced more than 250 detailed paintings and drawings of mushrooms and other fungi, many drawn from specimens collected in the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands.

Her work captured species such as the bright‑orange crust fungus *Aleurodiscus amorphus*, the gelatinous *Tremella simplex* growing on it, the scarlet waxcap *Hygrocybe coccinea* and the shaggy *Strobilomyces strobilaceus*. Using a microscope, Potter illustrated spores and germination, noting details that modern mycologists have later interpreted as evidence of fungal parasitism. The 160th anniversary of Potter’s birth has prompted renewed appreciation of her scientific contributions alongside her literary legacy.