** UPDATE: the calendar is now available from BSPP: BSPP 2024 Calendar – Images by Helen Pennington – BSPP – The British Society for Plant Pathology **

I have collaborated with the British Society for Plant Pathology to produce a calendar of plant pathology art!

“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 teaser image, which BSPP have released, is of lawn daisy rust (Puccinia distincta infecting Bellis perennis).

“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.”

The tweet states:

“Communicating through art. Creating art is a discovery process and a way of sharing new concepts. @hgpennington is creating a plant pathology calendar with @bs_pp #plantpathology #art #scicomm #daidy #rust #wildplantdisease #PlantHealthWeek”

This work was funded through the BSPP Plant Pathology Promotion Fund, and the calendar should be released by BSPP in 2023