Introduction to the World of Mushrooms

Mushroom collecting is a fast growing pastime. Mushrooms are collected for their nutritional value, for their health promoting properties and to add new and wonderful flavors to our foods. In my talk I will define mushrooms as biological organisms and explore ways they interact with the natural environment. Through images of mushrooms I will illustrate their different forms and will point out features that help distinguish poisonous from edible.

Anna Gerenday is a soon to be retired scientist at the U of M. Mushrooming is my hobby; that is, I am an amateur Mycologist (people who study fungi). I became interested in mushrooms in the mid seventies, one bright October day, while birding and finding no birds. My eyes moved from the tree branches to the forest floor. To my amazement the ground was carpeted with mushrooms of all shapes and colors, and I simply had to find out more about them. That was in NJ; I joined the NJ Mycological Association, started learning and I never stopped. I am looking forward to retirement to be able to spend more time studying mushrooms and teaching about them.