Image 1 of 11
Image 2 of 11
Image 3 of 11
Image 4 of 11
Image 5 of 11
Image 6 of 11
Image 7 of 11
Image 8 of 11
Image 9 of 11
Image 10 of 11
Image 11 of 11
About this Species
Much artistic license was taken with the Forest Floor series, and composition often won out over biological correctness, However, here are a few of the species Kathryn chose to honour in this painting:
Grizzly bear (skull)
Grizzly bears are omnivores who cover large territories in Canada and Alaska. Coastal grizzlies tend to be larger than the ones in the Rocky mountains, due to a richer diet that includes salmon and shellfish on the coast. Grizzlies also forage in rotting logs for grubs and tubers in the forests.
Chanterelles
Chanterelles are one of the most common species of wild edible mushrooms. True chanterelles do not have gills like other mushrooms, but intricate, branching folds that run parallel to the stalk. Chanterelles grow in a variety of coniferous and deciduous forests, and have a rich and complex flavour.
Coralroot Orchid
These pink and white orchid flowers do not photosynthesize like most plants - they instead use nutrients from mycorrhyzal fungi, in a process known as myco-heterotrophy. As a result of this process, the strange, beautiful Corallorhiza flowers have never been successfully cultivated and can only be admired on the forest floor.
Fly Agaric Mushroom
Amanita muscaria grows in many deciduous and coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest. Its distinctive red mushroom caps are speckled with white. Although beautiful, it is poisonous and hallucinogenic to humans.
Banana slug
Banana slugs are important detrivores, or decomposers of the forest floor. They can be many shades of brown, yellow, green or even spotted, to blend in with the leaf litter. Banana slugs live 1-7 years and are common in coastal forests from California to Alaska.
All images remain copyright © Kathryn Beals.