A week ago, I went to a local fungus fair to learn about the types of fungi that live in my area. It was a fascinating display of so many mushrooms along with lectures and information about these organisms. I took a lot of photos to share!

The mushrooms were spread out on tables in the middle of the room. Each one was on a paper plate with a label. There were also cards with more information about how to identify different types of mushrooms. Most of them could be touched and smelled.

Winter is a good time to see lots of mushrooms growing, especially when it rains. There might be a fungus fair in your area! Search online for local events.

One lecture talked about how fungi play an important role in the forest. Fungi can grow under the ground to support the root system of trees, others grow up on the branches. Some only eat certain types of leaves or needles once they’ve fallen off the tree. Fungi can be parasitic, symbiotic, and everything in between.

One of my favorite parts of looking at mushrooms is seeing the ones that are poisonous. There was a wide selection of toxic mushrooms on display. These were labeled for safety.

But some mushrooms were labeled with a warning just because they were delicate, like this Midnight Entoloma.

And not all the red mushrooms are toxic.

Of course, some mushrooms are delicious to eat. These were also labeled. Some smelled amazing, even sweet!

I hope you enjoyed looking at some of the mushrooms I saw! There were so many types of fungus that I couldn’t get them all, but these are the ones that looked the most interesting. Thank you to the Bay Area Mycological Society for hosting this event!