I’m always very interested in making artworks that take into consideration biodiversity and why it’s important – so rather than just painting one fungi species, I look to include other parts of the environment they belong to. I was particularly interested in looking at relationships between fungi and Australian fauna for this series. I came across a paper that recorded King Parrots eating Cyttaria septentrionalis, so thought it would be a great subject to paint about.
I got in touch with the author Todd Elliott and asked if it would be ok to use his natural history note as inspiration for the artwork – I was so stoked when he replied and said yes!
So Cyttaria septentrionalis can be found primarily in QLD and Northern NSW, growing on their host tree – Nothofagus moorei (Antarctic Beech). Below is a link to an article about the paper, and then the paper itself:
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aec.12711
- https://bou.org.uk/blog-elliott-ornithomycology/
And some more helpful links on Cyttaria septentrionalis:
- http://iucn.ekoo.se/iucn/species_view/277905/
- https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/fungi/60086295
It’s also worth noting this species looks very similar to the more commonly known Cyttaria gunnii.
INGRID BARTKOWIAK 