Feature Articles

Tiptoeing Through the Toadstools: Mushrooms in Victorian Fairy Paintings, by Moselio Schaechter
Opening the gates to a forgotten world of magic and mushrooms

Further Reflections on Amanita muscaria as an Edible Species (PDF), by Debbie Viess
An in-depth examination of the edibility of the iconic “fly agaric” mushroom

The First Time We Saw Mushrooms, by Bob and Barbara Sommer
A pair of experienced mushroom-hunters reminisce about how they started.

Echinodontium ballouii: From Eyeballs to DNA (PDF), by Leon Shernoff
Two Massachusetts mushroom-hunters rediscovered a mushroom that was thought to be extinct since 1910; moreover, the mushroom has been widely considered a “living fossil”. This article examines the different ways that mycologists have handled this claim, and sums up the modern state of the evidence.

Wilderness Survival

Fungus and Fire (pt 1, pt 2) by Tammy Spillis
Starting fires in the wilderness without modern equipment, using shelf fungi.

Traditional Healing

Puffballs as Styptics, by Will Blackwell

Cuisine

Cooking with smut (corn truffles)
Jelly and Mushroom Sandwiches

On Mycologists

Interview: Tom Volk
Biography — William Alphonso Murrill: The Legend of the Naturalist
Part One, by David Rose (PDF)
Part Two, by Jim Kimbrough (PDF)

Crossword Puzzle

Spring Mushroom Hunt (PDF), by Kevin Wald

Taxon of the Month

Phaeolepiota aurea
Each issue we cover a species or group of species in greater detail than modern field guides permit.

Book Reviews

Both reviews by Harley Barnhart.
The Guide to Guides – an overview of several field guides
Mushrooms of Hawaii