Although my main focus has been on the scientific aspects of fungi, I have always particulary enjoyed the beauty of the form of fungi. I received an email last week from fungal photographer Warren Krupsaw pointing me to some of his photographs that do a fine job of illustrating the beauty of fungi. In the words of the photographer: More…
MykoWeb Mushroom Blog
Paranoid Lunatics with Guns
Posted on 30 November 2011 by Michael Wood
In late October Dennis Desjardin, Fred Stevens, my wife Jane, and I drove to the Crescent City area of California to photograph mushrooms for a forthcoming book. Dennis, Fred and I have a contract with Timber Press to publish a book called “California Mushrooms”. It will include keys, descriptions, and color photographs to about 650 species of California macro-fungi. More…
CAF Popular Fungi
Posted on 21 December 2010 by Michael Wood
I’m often asked what are the most viewed species at the “Fungi of California“. So here is the list of the 100 most visited species from November 2010, listed in order of descending popularity.
- Boletus edulis
- Amanita muscaria
- Agaricus augustus
- Cantharellus cibarius
- Pleurotus ostreatus More…
WebWatch: Moreling on the Web
Posted on 02 July 2010 by Michael Wood
Morels are most likely on every mushroomers’ short list of favorite edible fungi. But delicious as they are, morels are much more than just a good meal. Morels are esoteric and mysterious, seemingly not bound by the rules of ‘ordinary’ mushrooms. Where and how to find them have become part of the folklore in much of North America, especially in the mid-west where moreling has been elevated almost to the status of religion. For many the hunt is the goal, so compelling that there are morelers that don’t even eat their catch! More…
The Hunt for Blue October
Posted on 16 November 2009 by Taylor Lockwood
“These people must think I’m nuts.” I had just finished an evening presentation for a couple of mushroom clubs on the Olympic Peninsula (WA), and passing on dinner and a warm bed, I headed into the darkness. More…
Web Watch: Useful References, Descriptions, & Keys
Posted on 09 November 2009 by Michael Wood
In this issue of WebWatch we will explore some useful references regarding the identification and classification of mushrooms and other fungi. These are aimed at the amateur mycologist interested in progressing beyond the field guide level in their pursuit of mushroom identification and understanding of mushroom taxonomy and nomenclature. More…
Volvariella bombycina in full glory
Posted on 05 October 2009 by Taylor Lockwood
Sometime back in the ’80s, I was on my first mushroom photography trip to the Appalachians. It was a hot and sticky day in North Carolina, and I found a beautiful pair of white mushrooms growing out of a small stump. These were special because they each came out of a large cup at the base but were clearly not Amanitas, which don’t grow on wood. More…
Web Watch: Fungal Photography on the Web
Posted on 17 July 2009 by Michael Wood
When I first started MykoWeb so many years ago, I envisioned that soon there would be websites popping up all over the world that documented their local funga[1] with good photographs. After all it was expensive to publish hard copies of color photographs, but cheap to put color photos on the web. Alas, my dream of many fine local fungas on the web has not been fulfilled for a couple of reasons: good mushroom photos are hard to take and there are few willing to devote the time and effort necessary to create a good and lasting website. More…