Mycology

I have spent countless hours in the woods of Western Massachusetts. I work as a dogwalker, leading packs through the hills on long excursions every day of the year. As I spent more and more time in nature, I became curious about the wonderful variety in shapes and colors of wild mushrooms.

A habitual autodidact, I procured every book on fungi I could find, and gave myself a deep education on our hidden siblings in the fifth kingdom. I began to take too many photos and memorize long lists of intricate latin binomials. I started to see the world of organisms that usually escape notice. I learned, hunted, and ate dozens and dozens of species of wild mushrooms. I’ve been known to get obsessed.

I sometimes post stuff about mushrooms on my Hunter’s Heart facebook page.

A man with a beard and mustache holding a large mushroom in a forest, looking up at the mushroom with a curious expression.
Cluster of orange mushrooms growing on a fallen log in a forest with green foliage in the background.
A mushroom with a reddish-brown cap and a thick stem growing among fallen leaves and green plants on a forest floor.
A mushroom with a tan cap and a tall, white stem growing among brown leaves and a green fern in the forest.
Close-up of the underside of a mushroom with gills and white pearl-like spots, taken in low light.
Three red mushrooms growing among green moss and grass.
Tree trunk covered with clusters of small brown fungi, surrounded by green leaves.
Cluster of orange and beige mushrooms growing on the side of a tree trunk in a forest.
A mushroom with a white cap and orange-golden interior, growing on a mossy log in a forest with green foliage in the background.
Cluster of brown mushrooms growing on the side of a fallen tree trunk in a forest.
White mushrooms growing on a decayed log in a forest among fallen leaves.
Cluster of brown mushrooms growing on a log with green foliage in the background.
Cluster of yellow mushrooms growing on a decayed tree trunk in a forest, with a small orange salamander nearby on the forest floor among leaves and twigs.
Two red mushrooms growing on a forest floor among leaves and twigs.
Close-up of a large, beige mushroom growing among fallen leaves and moss on a forest floor.
Cluster of brown and white Turkey Tail mushrooms growing on a fallen log in a forest.
Close-up of a yellow and orange mushroom growing on the forest floor among leaves and moss.
A close-up of a small mushroom with a brown cap covered in yellowish spines, growing from the forest floor amid twigs and dried leaves.
A close-up of a red mushroom with a textured, orange stem, sitting among fallen leaves on the forest floor.
Two large, cut-open mushrooms with thick, curved caps and dark gills, lying on a bed of dry brown leaves.
Two bright orange mushrooms on the forest floor among pine needles, small twigs, and dried leaves.
Clusters of small, round, pinkish-orange fungi growing on a piece of wood.
A mushroom with black ink or liquid dripping from its cap onto the ground.
A mushroom with a brown cap and a thick, light-colored stem growing in a forest among fallen leaves.
Close-up of brown mushrooms growing in green grass in a wooded area.
Cluster of orange and yellow gilled mushrooms growing on a tree branch with dark green foliage in the background.
Close-up of a sliced black mushroom with a dark, textured cap and white edges, on dark soil with brown and yellow patterned mushroom caps in the background.
A mushroom with a curved orange cap and a thick yellow stem, lying on a bed of brown fallen leaves.
Close-up of a mushroom with a pinkish-white cap and a dark center, growing among dirt and fallen leaves.
Close-up of a brown mushroom with a convex cap, slightly lighter at the edges, surrounded by forest leaf litter.
A red mushroom with a white stem growing on a forest floor among fallen leaves and decaying wood.
A close-up of small yellow mushrooms growing on forest soil among fallen leaves and pine needles.
Several mushrooms growing on a fallen log in a forest with green foliage in the background.
Fungi growing on the forest floor among dead leaves and organic debris.
A group of small orange mushrooms growing on a piece of wood with green moss nearby.
A person holding a large mushroom with a thick stem and a broad cap in a green forest setting.
A large, orange mushroom with a wavy cap growing on forest floor among green moss and small plants.
Yellow mushroom with a tall slender stem and a flat cap growing among wet brown fallen leaves.
White coral-like fungus growing on green mossy ground with small twigs nearby.
Close-up of a morel mushroom growing on the forest floor amidst fallen leaves.
Multiple brown shelf fungi growing on the side of a tree trunk in a forest.
A close-up photo of a yellow mushroom with a rounded cap, spotted with white patches, growing on the forest floor among leaves and small twigs.
Bright orange fungi growing on a wet fallen leaf on the forest floor.
Group of white mushrooms growing on a decayed tree trunk in a forest.
Cluster of small brown mushrooms growing at the base of a moss-covered tree trunk in a forest.
Group of small, spiky orange mushrooms growing on a fallen, partially decayed log in a forest.
Close-up of a mushroom with a beige cap and a textured brown stem growing among green moss.
Close-up of overlapping green and brown shelf fungi with concentric rings and ridged edges.
A white mushroom with a beige cap growing among green moss and twigs on the forest floor.
Orange and beige mushroom with wavy edges growing on forest floor with green foliage in the background.
A white and gray toadstool mushroom growing among fallen leaves and pine needles on the forest floor.
Cluster of turkey tail mushrooms with brown and white concentric bands.
Cream-colored coral fungus growing on a tree trunk in a forest.
Group of orange mushrooms growing among fallen leaves and twigs on the forest floor.
Cluster of yellow mushrooms growing on dark soil in a forest, with blurred green foliage in the background.
Close-up of a bright orange fungus growing from reddish wood mulch on the ground.
A tall mushroom with a yellow, textured, spherical cap covered in small bumps, growing among green leaves and forest floor debris.
A white, ruffled mushroom growing on forest ground with dark soil and some small green plants.
Four purple mushrooms growing among brown fallen leaves and twigs on the forest floor.
Small orange mushrooms growing on green moss and decomposing wood.
A top view of a purple mushroom with white spots, growing among pine needles and forest floor debris.
A close-up of a red and white spotted mushroom growing among fallen leaves on the forest floor.
A yellow mushroom with orange spots on a decayed log in a forest.
A single brown mushroom with a textured cap and a tall, twisted stem growing among green moss, small plants, and leaves in a forest floor.
A cluster of brown wood ear mushrooms growing on a tree trunk outdoors.
Cluster of turkey tail fungi growing on a fallen log in a forest area with leaves and green plants nearby.
Close-up of a tree trunk covered with clustered brown fungi or mushrooms.
Group of white, spiky, spherical mushrooms growing on the forest floor among leaves and twigs.
Bright yellow coral fungus growing on forest floor with leaves and blurred trees in background.
Cluster of beige mushrooms emerging from mossy ground in a green forest.
Orange mushrooms growing on a fallen tree branch in a forest.
Cluster of small brown mushrooms growing on decaying wood in a forest with green moss and leaves around.
A mushroom with a brown cap and a white stem growing among fallen leaves and small twigs on the forest floor.
Cluster of yellow mushrooms growing on decayed wood in a forest, with a background of green trees and blurred foliage.
Cluster of orange-brown mushrooms growing on a tree trunk in a forest.
Cluster of orange-brown mushrooms growing on decaying wood in a forest, with a small green leaf nearby.
Close-up of a mushroom with concentric cream and brown rings on the forest floor near some green leaves and a decayed log.
Multiple overlapping shelf fungi with concentric brown, white, and black bands growing on a fallen tree trunk.
A mushroom with a cracked, patterned cap on the forest floor among leaves and twigs.
A close-up of a black mushroom with a textured cap, growing among fallen leaves and twigs in a forest.
Fungi growing on a tree trunk in a forest, with multiple overlapping orange and brown shelf-like caps with white edges.
Cluster of orange and yellow fungi growing on a tree trunk in a forest.
Two white mushrooms growing on forest floor among wet leaves.
Close-up of a red mushroom with a thick stem growing on wet forest ground with pine needles and small rocks.
Close-up of a yellow mushroom with gills, growing on a rock in a forest.
Six small, orange-brown mushrooms grow on the forest floor, surrounded by green moss and scattered small rocks and twigs.
A mushroom emerging from a white egg shell in a forest with fallen leaves and green foliage in the background.
Two orange mushrooms with long, slender stems growing on a mossy forest floor.
Clusters of bright yellow orchids growing among fallen leaves and small green plants in a forest setting.
Small mushrooms with yellow stems and red caps growing among green moss and fallen leaves in a forest.
Cluster of black, cup-shaped mushrooms growing on forest floor covered with dry leaves and twigs.
Close-up of the underside of a mushroom showing gills.
Two yellow mushrooms with textured caps growing on the forest floor amid fallen leaves and pine needles, with autumn foliage in the background.
Fungi growing on a tree trunk with concentric growth rings and a fuzzy texture.
Cluster of orange fungi growing on forest floor among leaves, twigs, and moss.
Bright orange and yellow shelf mushroom growing on a fallen log.
Two white, spiky mushrooms growing on the forest floor among fallen leaves, ferns, and moss.
A large, curled mushroom with a yellow edge and dark brown to black center, surrounded by dried leaves and pine needles on the forest floor.
Orange mushrooms growing among moss, leaves, and twigs on the forest floor.
A single brown mushroom growing among dry leaves and green plants on the forest floor.
Upside-down mushrooms with blue and yellow coloring growing among fallen leaves.
A small brown mushroom growing among green moss, pine needles, and fallen leaves on a forest floor.
Cluster of orange mushrooms growing at the base of a tree, surrounded by fallen leaves and soil.
Group of red mushrooms with yellow stems growing on forest floor among green moss, leaves, and twigs.
Close-up of a large, pale, fluffy fungus growing on a tree stump in a forest.
Cluster of white puffball mushrooms growing on forest floor among leaves and pine needles.
Orange slime mold growing on dark tree bark, forming a pattern resembling a landmass or map.
Small orange mushrooms growing on the ground among grass, leaves, and twigs.
A yellow mushroom with a textured stem and a pale yellow cap grows on a forest floor covered with brown fallen leaves.
Close-up of a small red mushroom growing among brown leaves and twigs on the forest floor.
Two mushrooms growing close together in the forest on the ground covered with leaves and twigs, with green plants nearby.
Purple mushroom growing among fallen leaves, pine needles, and moss on a forest floor.
Cluster of white, textured fungi growing on a decaying log in a damp environment.
Cluster of small, orange fungi with fuzzy white tips growing among fallen leaves and twigs on forest floor.
Close-up of a mushroom with a rounded, reddish-brown cap and a light-brown stem, growing on forest floor among dirt, twigs, and leaves with blurred green foliage in the background.
A fungus with a white, rounded top and a tall, bent stem that transitions from reddish to yellowish-brown, growing among moss and fern in a forest setting.
Group of yellow mushrooms growing among fallen leaves and twigs on dark, damp soil in a forest.
Fungi growing on a decayed tree trunk in a forest, with green foliage and wet ground visible.
A small mushroom with a white, ribbed cap and a thin stem growing among pine needles and leaves on the forest floor.
Cluster of grayish-black mushrooms growing among fallen leaves and green grass on a forest floor.
A large, white, fluffy fungus growing on the side of a tree in a forest.
Cluster of white mushrooms growing on dark soil surrounded by green leaves and grass.
Close-up of a single mushroom with a white stem and cap with white flakes, growing among fallen dry leaves on a forest floor.
Cluster of beige and brown mushrooms growing on the ground near a tree trunk, surrounded by fallen leaves and small green plants.