AN ACCLAIMED Ambleside botanist of international renown has died at the age of 84.

Hilda Canter-Lund published dozens of scientific papers over the course of her high-profile career and won awards for the book she wrote with her husband on freshwater algae.

Famed for her skills behind the camera, she was also one of only two experts from her field to become a member of the prestigious Royal Photographic Society.

Born in London, and an only child, Dr Canter-Lund studied science at the University of London before heading to Wray Castle, near Ambleside, in the late 1940s where she worked in the laboratories of the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA).

As well as earning a PhD for her research into lake micro-organisms, in waters locally and all over the world, it was during her time at the FBA that she met her future husband, Dr John Lund.

The pair married in 1949 and set up home in Ambleside and, for a time, Dr Canter-Lund left her job at the FBA to raise the couple's children, Richard, now 56, and Hilary, 54.

A keen gardener and great lover of the Lake District - from the imposing fells to tiny plankton - Dr Canter-Lund was regarded by peers as one of the best in her field. She was also much loved by her family, including granddaughter, Sarah.

"She had an international reputation for the technical excellence and brilliance of the pictures she took down her microscope and an international reputation in her field of study," said Dr Lund, who cared for her at home throughout her battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

The funeral of Dr Canter-Lund, who died on January 15, will be held at Lancaster and Morecambe Crematorium on Monday (January 29) at 1.15pm. Donations can be made, in lieu of flowers, to the Alzheimer's Disease Society, via the funeral directors, T Edmondson Ltd.