Happy Thought for 25 August 2023

Have a Happy Thought: 

Many moons ago (thankfully), women were excluded from being taken seriously as scientists. So many women instead kept researching the natural world anyway. And so we have inherited the beauty of the world that they discovered.

Specifically today we will focus on fungi, and how women especially in the 19th century devoted themselves to hand-drawing mushrooms, among other botanicals. The eye for detail is amazing, the colours and imagery beautiful, and there are so many sources to follow down lush, nutrient-rich rabbit holes…

Here’s a few of my favourite images, and I’ve linked some sources down below should you wish to electronically thumb through some of these images, and writings, yourself! (If you like this sort of natural drawing, and the stories of intrepid women, and also scifi / fantasy, I strongly recommend the books by Marie Brennan, starting with A Natural History of Dragons.)


Agaricus acutisquamosus, from Illustrations of British mycology, containing figures and descriptions of the funguses of interest and novelty indigenous to Britain, by Anna Maria Hussey and Frances Reed

 


Peziza reticulata, from Illustrations of British mycology, containing figures and descriptions of the funguses of interest and novelty indigenous to Britain, by Anna Maria Hussey and Frances Reed

 


Boletus elegans, from Illustrations of British mycology, containing figures and descriptions of the funguses of interest and novelty indigenous to Britain, by Anna Maria Hussey and Frances Reed

 


Seaweeds, from Rambles in search of flowerless plants by Margaret Plues

  


Lichens, from Rambles in search of flowerless plants by Margaret Plues

 

But whatever you do, do not trust AI (or any large language module) to write a guide to edible fungus for you…!!!

https://www.reddit.com/r/behindthebastards/comments/15xclq9/this_is_worse_than_the_dinosaur_colouring_books/?rdt=38349

 

 

Thanks to JSTOR Daily for first bringing these to our attention, with this great article: https://daily.jstor.org/the-fungi-mad-ladies-of-long-ago/

You can also check out: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/21722

And also : https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/51393

And also: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/25395

 

 

And finally, a huge congratulations to the Indian Space Research Organisation for safely landing the Chandrayaan-3 mission in the south polar region of the moon! https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/chandrayaan-3-news-live-updates-mooon-landing-time-isro-lunar-mission-live-telecast-today-vikram-lander-pragyan-rover-photos/liveblog/102961641.cms

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