Latest PSMS News
Hildegard Hendrickson Free Public ID Clinic
Fall 2025 "Hildegard Hendrickson" Mushroom ID clinics on Mondays from 4-7pm throughout the fall season at the Center for Urban Horticulture (3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle, WA 98105) will begin on September 29, 2025.
Save The Dates
The Ben Woo Foray will be Oct. 17-19th, 2025
Our Annual Wild Mushroom Show will be Oct. 25-26th, 2025
PSMS Inclusivity Statement
For over fifty years, the Puget Sound Mycological Society (PSMS) has nurtured collaboration amongst its members for an understanding and appreciation of the wide diversity of mushroom species in the Pacific Northwest. We also depend on a diverse membership to support our mission to foster the understanding and appreciation of mycology as a hobby and a science. In recent months, as systematic inequality in U.S. society is revealed to a broader audience, it becomes clearer that inequality imposes barriers on marginalized groups to participation in a wide variety of activities. PSMS opposes all barriers that limit participation in mycology. PSMS and its board members support a more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming organization where all people, especially those who are underrepresented in our organization and society at large, can enjoy mushrooms and all of the activities associated with them. We realize this will be an on-going conversation and are looking to our members for suggestions on ways to increase diversity, inclusivity, and welcoming. Thank you as we join together to make this long-overdue journey toward systemic equality!
Featured Content
If You Suspect
a Poisoning
Contact a physician or Washington Poison Center: 1-800-222-1222
More Poison InformationSpore Prints Newsletter
Spore Prints is the monthly newsletter of PSMS containing announcements of coming events and speakers, plus a variety of tidbits, trivia, recipes, and research developments.
Spore Prints Archive
Harvesting Rules
Washington state is divided into numerous federal, state, local and Native American jurisdictions. Learn the proper rules for each jurisdiction.
Harvesting Information
Upcoming Events
iNat for beginners zoom class in two parts (limit 500)
The classes, led by Sandra Ruffner of the PSMS Conservation and Ecology Committee and the Identification Committee, will be approx. 90 minutes each and will be held on Wednesday Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.
There is no registration for this class, you will just log in via the zoom links below.
Part One: Sep 3, 2025 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
To Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/91542383935?pwd=mgfPMEakVgNZf5NzVbedqEoH5mcTea.1
Meeting ID: 915 4238 3935 Passcode: 660392
Part Two: Sep 7, 2025 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
To Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/98143007574?pwd=OMPBe7aKai4vwRVKZMMSBVXjXIR1I9.1
Meeting ID: 981 4300 7574 Passcode: 638063
The purpose of this class is to teach people how to use iNaturalist both as a way to record what is seen in the wild, but also to show how iNaturalist can be used as a learning tool to enhance knowledge of and appreciation of nature. For details see class listings here: https://mms.psms.org/members/evr/regmenu_cat.php?orgcode=PSMS
Tuesday, September 9th, 2025 - 7:30pm
Monthly Meeting
Daniel Winkler
Our September 9th General Meeting will feature PSMS member and author Daniel Winkler who will be speaking about "Fruits of the forest from the Cascades to the Himalayas". This meeting will also be available on Zoom (link posted at the bottom of this event and on our website homepage). This meeting is free and open to the public!
Posters and postcards for our annual show October 25th & 26th will be available for members to help hand out to publicize our show.
Some of the best edible mushrooms in the world can be found in the Pacific Northwest. Interestingly many of these choice edible mushrooms like Porcini and other boletes, Chanterelles, Hedgehogs, Matsutake, Bear's Head/Lions mane, Cauliflower mushroom, Oysters, Saffron Milkcaps. All of these choice edibles are fairly easy to identify, helping one to overcome fungophobia and truly appreciate wild mushrooms. Interestingly all these mushrooms are also collected and highly esteemed elsewhere, like in the Rocky Mountains, European Alps and the Himalayas. And, yes there are many other good edible mushrooms out there much more difficult to identify. Daniel’s stunning images taken while Mushroaming far and wide document the appreciation of these delicious mushrooms. In addition, Daniel will share his experience on how to forage, identify, process and prepare these delectable mushrooms. Key in finding prime mushrooms is getting to know their preferred habitat and their seasonality. Daniel will share lots of new insights from his book “Fruits of the Forest – Handbook to Edible Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. In addition, Daniel is mixing in some fungal fun & facts from his ethno-mycological research and Mushroaming adventure travels.
Daniel grew up collecting and eating wild mushrooms in the Alps and is sharing his enthusiasm as a mushroom educator, photographer and guide. The Puget Sound Mycological Society, which he joined in 1996 was instrumental in exposing Daniel to mycology and inspiring him to bend his career towards mushrooms. Daniel served on the PSMS board, as vice president and is spearheading PSMS's Bridle Trails State Park Funga study. Daniel published his “Fruits of the Forest – Field Guide to Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms” (available at mushroaming.com), a product of a life time of mushroom hunting, the last twenty-nine years in the PNW. Previously he published a series of fold-out field guides: Edible Mushrooms of the PNW, Edibles of California (both Harbour Publishing), Amazon Mushrooms, and Medicinal Mushrooms of North America, as well as MycoCards "Boletes of Western North America". As an ecologist and geographer Daniel focused on High Asia towards researching Tibet's enormous fungal economy. His ethno-mycological Cordyceps research has been featured in National Geographic, New York Times, The Economist, NPR, BBC World Service etc. In the last decade Daniel started exploring neotropical fungi. With his travel agency MushRoaming Daniel is organizing mushroom focused eco-adventures since 2007, current destinations are Bhutan and Colombia.
PSMS September General Meeting
Time: Sep 9, 2025 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
link
Meeting ID: 989 4294 5175
Passcode: 517150