Early Mushroom Species Identification and Exploration

Mushrooms come in different sizes, shapes and colours, and they can appear overnight, covering lawns, meadows, woods, and wetlands. Mushrooms grow on both living and dead matter, and they often form mutually beneficial relationships with other living flora. Although mushrooms have long been considered a culinary delicacy, some are poisonous and even fatal if consumed. In this workshop, participants will learn to identify mushrooms through examination of spore colour, gill attachment, and growth substrate. We will learn to appreciate not only the incredible variety of early local mushrooms, but also the ways in which mushrooms support and communicate within an interrelational, networking ecosystem.