Introduction to Pacific Northwest Mushrooms
Spring 2024 Series
Self-Paced | Live online classes (optional) | Personalized Instruction
This online course provides an engaging introduction to the study of mushrooms, focusing on key aspects such as identification, understanding different mushroom habitats, choosing your spots, and how to safely explore Pacific Northwest forests. Designed for beginners and those with an interest in mycology, the curriculum can be tailored to your specific region and interests and includes lots of opportunities for joining live online classes as well as working at your own pace with recorded archives.
Live classes run weekly through May. Cancel within a week for a full refund.
Week 1: Introduction to Mycology and Basic Identification
- Overview of fungi and their role in ecosystems
- Basic anatomy of mushrooms and introduction to common groups
- Basic techniques for identifying mushrooms
Week 2: Habitats, Foraging Practices, and Mushroom Diversity
- Understanding mushroom habitats: From forests to urban areas
- Ethical foraging practices and safety guidelines
- Introduction to edible & toxic mushrooms, and the diversity of mushrooms
- Challenges with mushroom identification
Week 3: Sensory Exploration and Environmental Factors
- Using touch, smell, and taste in mushroom identification
- The impact of weather, climate, and seasonality on mushrooms
- Techniques for taking spore prints
- Introduction to mushroom photography and using descriptive vocabulary
Week 4: Navigation and Mushroom Ecology
- Navigating in natural and urban habitats
- Reviewing maps and predicting mushroom locations
- Basics of tree identification and its importance in foraging
- Land use considerations and the ecological impact on mushroom foraging
Week 5: Advanced Identification and Special Topics
- Deep dive into fungal taxonomy and strategies for finding specific species
- Focus on specific groups: Pacific Northwest boletes, wood-lovers, morels, and other spring oddballs
- Benefits and limitations of identification apps
- Introduction to mushroom field guides and reference books
Week 6: Application, Community, and Beyond
- Planning and documenting a personal foraging trip
- Sharing findings with the course community and engaging in collaboration
- The long history of plant-fungi partnerships and the broader fungal kingdom
- Course wrap-up: Reflecting on discoveries and next steps in mycology