As a scientist by training, foodie and cooking fanatic, and a life-long woodland adventurer, when Mary Beth found the world of fungi she knew that she had discovered something very special that touched many of the most important areas of her life.
As a child she grew up being told that wild mushrooms were poisonous and that one should steer clear of touching them much less eating them. Mary Beth can thank her sister for asking her to actually go foraging for the first time. After her first foray finding maitake, she felt like Alice passing through the looking glass and never looking back…
In August of 2020 Mary Beth jumped into the world of fungi with huge enthusiasm. She watched endless YouTube videos, read numerous books, and studied all through the fall and winter with fascination. While she and her sister had harvested for just maitake and oyster mushrooms that first fall, come spring she was armed with knowledge and ready to dig in deeper.
Throughout 2021 she focused on studying all mushrooms but had a goal to become very confident in the Boletus species. She attended her first forays with the NAMA meeting in Colorado and the inaugural Rustic Camping foray in Bayfield, WI. Mary Beth learned how to participate in our scientific community using iNaturalist and became confident foraging multiple species of mushrooms. She found her first morels in the spring of 2022 and focused her studies on learning more and more about medicinal mushrooms. Early that summer she made her first tinctures using large harvests of turkey tails and reishi.
Beyond all of the wonderful information she was learning, Mary Beth was also meeting some super cool people. She discovered the strong sense of community and the pleasure one can get from not only participating but giving back by actively supporting the efforts that were being made by so many fungi enthusiasts.
Mary Beth works in heathcare and is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society. In the ONS she served as program chair for four years, organizing 6 large dinner/learning events annually and working with funding chairs and other members to keep the ledgers positive while making certain that there was always enough funds to provide scholarships to other members for learning opportunities. She has also volunteered with Lucky Mutts Rescue and has a very good dog named Tahoe who you may well meet on the trail some day!
As a child she grew up being told that wild mushrooms were poisonous and that one should steer clear of touching them much less eating them. Mary Beth can thank her sister for asking her to actually go foraging for the first time. After her first foray finding maitake, she felt like Alice passing through the looking glass and never looking back…
In August of 2020 Mary Beth jumped into the world of fungi with huge enthusiasm. She watched endless YouTube videos, read numerous books, and studied all through the fall and winter with fascination. While she and her sister had harvested for just maitake and oyster mushrooms that first fall, come spring she was armed with knowledge and ready to dig in deeper.
Throughout 2021 she focused on studying all mushrooms but had a goal to become very confident in the Boletus species. She attended her first forays with the NAMA meeting in Colorado and the inaugural Rustic Camping foray in Bayfield, WI. Mary Beth learned how to participate in our scientific community using iNaturalist and became confident foraging multiple species of mushrooms. She found her first morels in the spring of 2022 and focused her studies on learning more and more about medicinal mushrooms. Early that summer she made her first tinctures using large harvests of turkey tails and reishi.
Beyond all of the wonderful information she was learning, Mary Beth was also meeting some super cool people. She discovered the strong sense of community and the pleasure one can get from not only participating but giving back by actively supporting the efforts that were being made by so many fungi enthusiasts.
Mary Beth works in heathcare and is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society. In the ONS she served as program chair for four years, organizing 6 large dinner/learning events annually and working with funding chairs and other members to keep the ledgers positive while making certain that there was always enough funds to provide scholarships to other members for learning opportunities. She has also volunteered with Lucky Mutts Rescue and has a very good dog named Tahoe who you may well meet on the trail some day!
If You Suspect a Poisoning
If you suspect you have consumed a poisonous mushroom, contact a physician, the closest hospital ER, poison control center, or dial 911, depending on the severity of the reaction. US Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) has information that may also be of help. Click here. We do not ID mushrooms through this website.
If you are in need of an ID consider uploading quality photos with multiple views of your specimen and descriptions of your find to Mushroom Observer or iNaturalist including our projects or post in Wild Food Wisconsin or Mushroom Identification Group. If you contact us and provide a way to get back to you, we may be able to provide suggestions for more identification resources you can use. You are always responsible for your own decisions taken on the basis of identification resources. |
Wisconsin Mycological Society (WMS) is dedicated to the study and enjoyment of mushrooms and other fungi throughout the state of Wisconsin. Education, safety, sustainability, community, and connecting with nature are our goals.
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