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Over the summer of 2025, Pushy worked as a voucher assistant for three WMS foray retreats (Hiles, Tri-County, and Northwoods). She was particularly proud to have made a meaningful contribution to WMS’s record-breaking achievement of identifying 550 species in Cable! |
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Since then she has become active on the science committee where she’s taken a lead role in designing improved identification and voucher collection protocols for next year’s forays. Additionally, she’s continued to actively pursue her interests in cortinarious mushrooms and microscopy.
Pushy fell in love with mushrooms in childhood, like many others, by going on morel hunts with family. Even from that young age, she had a sense that it’s about more than just finding, identifying, and eating a delicious mushroom. It’s about sharing. Sharing the mushrooms, sharing the knowledge, sharing time in the woods with other people.
She fell in love with WMS pretty much immediately upon becoming a member in 2024 and started attending foray retreats. She was particularly struck by the welcoming spirit of the members, their enthusiasm, knowledge, support, and comeraderie. It has truly blown her mind and motivates her to work hard and to give back. In the following year she passed the Wild Mushroom ID certification test and became committed to continuously building meticulous identification skills.
Pushy has an extensive background in the performing arts, community-based science, and weird diy sports- all of which have involved working in a wide variety of non-profit organizations. In particular, she spent more than a decade participating in lots of committees and taking on many leadership roles in two regional roller derby leagues, including a term on the Executive Board with Madison Roller Derby. She spent two years as a research assistant at DePaul University’s Center for Community Research which resulted in her being a co-author on three published papers. She’s an actor, stand-up comic, writer, producer, and production assistant. She is always willing to take on a challenge. If you want to talk to Pushy about something besides mushrooms, just bring up Elvis Presley, Carl Sagan, or roller derby.
Pushy fell in love with mushrooms in childhood, like many others, by going on morel hunts with family. Even from that young age, she had a sense that it’s about more than just finding, identifying, and eating a delicious mushroom. It’s about sharing. Sharing the mushrooms, sharing the knowledge, sharing time in the woods with other people.
She fell in love with WMS pretty much immediately upon becoming a member in 2024 and started attending foray retreats. She was particularly struck by the welcoming spirit of the members, their enthusiasm, knowledge, support, and comeraderie. It has truly blown her mind and motivates her to work hard and to give back. In the following year she passed the Wild Mushroom ID certification test and became committed to continuously building meticulous identification skills.
Pushy has an extensive background in the performing arts, community-based science, and weird diy sports- all of which have involved working in a wide variety of non-profit organizations. In particular, she spent more than a decade participating in lots of committees and taking on many leadership roles in two regional roller derby leagues, including a term on the Executive Board with Madison Roller Derby. She spent two years as a research assistant at DePaul University’s Center for Community Research which resulted in her being a co-author on three published papers. She’s an actor, stand-up comic, writer, producer, and production assistant. She is always willing to take on a challenge. If you want to talk to Pushy about something besides mushrooms, just bring up Elvis Presley, Carl Sagan, or roller derby.
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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
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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