Leni's father specialized in orchids, but also grew roses, and other flowers. Leni went to high school in Amsterdam, where she learned many languages including Dutch, French, English, German, Latin and Greek. She earned a Masters' degree in horticulture at the University in Wageningen.

Leni had always liked to sketch and paint and eventually became a member of the Edmonton Art Club. At that time she became interested in local wild flowers and mushrooms. Eventually she found more and more mushrooms and painted many of them.

She collected a lot of books on Fungi and connected with a mycologist society in Ottawa. They wanted her to send them all that she found, dried, with their descriptions and spore prints. A lot of her work is in the Mycological Herbarium (DAOM) in Ottawa.

Leni taught many courses. In 1975 she had a small booklet printed.   Eventually "Lone Pine Publishers" invited her to write a book about mushrooms resulting in the printing of "Mushrooms of Western Canada".   She illustrating the book with the use of her paintings and descriptions.   She was also responsible for the book " Mushrooms of North West North America"

Clitocybe Gibba
12 x 24
oil on masonite

Leccinum Insigne
12x16
watercolor