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This artwork by Beatrix Potter is of the fungus Flammulina velutipes, or Collybia velutipes. Its name comes from the Latin meaning 'velvety foot' which is how is gets its common name, velvet shank. The piece records Beatrix collecting the fungus at Dunkeld in Scotland.

This fungus has the unusual habit of producing sporophores during the winter months, and may be found from November to March. The fruit bodies appear in tufts on fallen trunks and stumps of hardwood, especially elm, and on gorse and gooseberry. The caps are 2-3 inches across, yellow-ochre in colour darkening towards the centre.