A list of mushroom and fungi resources compiled from my own deep dive into the world of mycology.

Boletus Edulis and Saffron Milk Cap mushrooms, ready for cleaning.

Everyone finds their own way into the world of mushrooms and fungi.

Maybe by way of an article in a magazine. Or a video on YouTube. Or, if they were lucky, an invitation to go foraging in the woods with a friend.

On this page I share some of the resources, experts and websites that have inspired or informed my own journey in some way.

But first, if you haven't seen it, you may want to watch... the Fantastic Fungi movie. There's an accompanying book you can get as well. Amazing photos.

Enjoy!

Mushroom and fungi experts.

There are plenty of other experts I follow, and I’ll be adding to this list over the months to come. But this is a pretty solid starting point.

Paul Stamets is a mycologist, author and advocate for fungi.

Paul Stamets has been an inspiration to thousands of budding mycologists during a career spanning 4 decades.

Through his books, research and business he has done more than perhaps anyone else to promote and advance our understanding of mycology.

He also strikes me as something of a troublemaker. Which, in my book, is a compliment.

If you’re new to his work, the quickest way to get a feel for his take on this topic is to watch his TED talk, 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World.

You can learn more about his work at his website, paulstamets.com.

Jeff Chilton is another “elder statesman” of the fungi world.

Like Paul Stamets, Jeff Chilton is something of an elder statesman in the world of mycology. His company, Nammex, has been developing and supplying organically certified mushroom extracts to the supplement industry since 1989. For the public, he sells supplements though another site, RealMushrooms.com.

In 1983 he and Paul Stamet co-wrote the book, The Mushroom Cultivator.

Suzanne Simard is an expert on how trees talk with each other.

Suzanne Simard is a professor of forest ecology, and teaches at the University of British Columbia.

Her primary focus is on how trees communicate with one another through the networks of mycorrhizal fungi that connect their root systems.

You can watch her TED talk on the topic here…

Toby Kiers sees fungal networks a little differently.

Toby Kiers is a Professor of Ecology & Evolution at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Like Suzanne Simard, she studies the symbiotic relationships between trees, plants and fungi.

But while Suzanne Simard paints a picture of cooperative mutualism that feels almost romantic, Toby Kiers look at the relationship between fungi and trees as more transactional and even selfish.

Interesting contrast.

You can watch Toby Kier’s TED talk on the subject on her website…

Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist and author.

Merlin Sheldrake is the author of The Entangled Life.

Of all the books I have read about mushrooms and fungi, this is the one that “blew my mind” the most often. At least once a chapter.

More about Merlin Sheldrake and his book here…

Trad Cotter is the founder of Mushroom Mountain.

Trad Cotter, and his wife Olga Katic, are the owners of Mushroom Mountain. Mushroom Mountain is a mushroom research facility, an ecotourism destination, and an educational facility.

One part of their work I find particularly interesting is their focus on mycoremediation.

And if you get to hear him speak, he's really funny.

Check out the MushroomMountain website.