A quiet reading room for people who like fungi.

worldofmushrooms collects long-form writing about the fungal world: the way mushrooms are built and how they live, the painters, illustrators and photographers who spent their lives looking at them, and the reasons that wild mushrooms demand real caution.

The articles are written to be read slowly. Each one is meant to leave you with a clearer picture of how fungi work and why they have held so many people's attention for so long.

A note on safety

Nothing on this site is an identification guide, and nothing here should be used to decide whether a wild mushroom is safe to eat. Misidentification causes serious poisonings every year, and some of the deadliest species look harmless. If you want to forage, learn from a local expert and a local mycological society, and have every find verified in person.

If you think someone has eaten a wild mushroom, contact your local poison control centre or emergency services immediately and keep a sample of the mushroom if you can.