Helen Patton Environmental Research Center

The Helen Patton Environmental Research Center
162 Patton Hill Road
Franklin, NC 28734
Contact: Susan Roberts, Assistant Director
(828) 227-2884
sroberts@email.wcu.edu

Current Research

Bird Survey

A bird survey was taken during the spring of 2003 on the property of The Helen Patton Environmental Research Center. View survey results (PDF)

Fungi Survey

Caesar's Mushroom, Amanita caesarea (© Susan Roberts)

A fungi survey was taken during the summer and fall months of 2003 on the property of The Helen Patton Environmental Research Center.

Mushrooms and fruiting bodies of different species were collected and photographed for identification. Several pictures show different features and angles of each mushroom.

The photographs were taken with a Nikon Coolpix 4500 digital camera.

The survey was conducted by Susan Roberts, assistant director of the Helen Patton Environmental Research Center and Western graduate student.

View survey results

The Art of Fungi

More than 50 years ago, Dr. Patton's mother forged a creative relationship between art and science when she produced oil paintings on fungi such as Artist's Conk, Ganoderma applanatum. Here, Dr. Patton describes Mamie Patton's method of preparing her "canvas":

Patton Valley in Winter, an oil-on-fungus work by Mamie Patton. (Courtesy of Helen Patton)

"[Mamie’s] work on fungi originally began on camping trips. On the spongy white under-surface she made sketches with a hat pin.

As the fungus dried the sketches faded and she experimented with a more permanent medium—oil paint.

She soaked the fungi in kerosene oil to destroy any insects, then slowly dried them in the cookstove oven or in the sun. A prime of white coat was applied and the surface was ready.”

- from Mamie by Helen Patton