Taylor Lockwood's Quest for Bioluminescent Fungi

Editor’s Note: Taylor Lockwood is one of those mushroom lovers who discovered the aesthetic allure of fungi and decided to dedicate himself to photographing the world’s most beautiful and rare fungi. Taylor’s quest for bioluminescent fungi in the Amazon was one of the Read More

Amanita Muscaria and the Koryak – Mushrooms in Siberia

Editor’s Note: Amanita muscaria, AKA the fly agaric mushroom, has made a couple of appearances on this blog to date, in large part because it’s one of the most recognizable mushrooms in the world and has a loyal following among mushroom Read More

Quetzalcoatl and His Mushrooms – Mushrooms in Mesoamerica

Editor’s Note: As promised, here is an article that explores mushroom use in classical Mesoamerican cultures; it is not exhaustive, because it largely revolves around how the Aztecs used mushrooms in religious practice and for divination. This article will focus a Read More

A Quick Tour of the Amanita Genus

Editor’s Note: This post was inspired by a reader who suggested that I take a bit of time on this blog to explain how to determine the genus of different sorts of mushrooms. One of the best approaches to learning wild mushroom Read More

Misunderstanding Mycology: How to Explain Mushroom Hunting to Family and Friends

Editorial Note: Well folks, it’s been one heck of a week at my day job, which means I have had little time to dedicate to writing blogs. I am working on a series about chanterelle mushrooms that you can look Read More

Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) Mushrooms – A Cautionary Tale

Let me tell you a little story about a woman who accidentally went on an Amanita muscaria trip; I interviewed her in 2011 at the Sonoma County Mycological Association’s annual retreat near Occidental, California, and she told me straight off that “I’m Read More