Almost nothing is known about M.F. Lewis beyond her meticulous

and accurately identified watercolors of fungi. A devoted amateur

naturalist, Lewis spent over 40 years illustrating the fungi that grew

in her native Ludlow, Shropshire, and other parts of England and Wales.

It does not appear that she ever published her work; however, she was

known to various mycological and horticultural societies and is

mentioned – briefly – in the Transactions of the Shropshire

Archaeological and Natural History Society and the records of the

British Mycological Society, among others. Lewis’ illustrations stand

as a record of fungal diversity in an area that saw few scientific visits.

Mann Library holds three volumes of Lewis’ original watercolors,

illustrating over two hundred species.