Hello and welcome to Mushroomination. Thanks for visiting! In my first post I’d like to share what you can expect from this blog, my motivations and a little about me, the author.
After years of growing my passion around mycology, reading books, going on forays, drawing and photographing fungus, I am inspired to share my passion and knowledge. I am by no means an expert, I am an enthusiast, learning as I go.
Over the past decade, when out walking, farming, gardening, driving, cycling, anything, if I spot a fungus or interesting lichen, I will stop and take a look, if I have a camera handy, take photographs. Along with these photos I will share stories, ruminations, thoughts and facts on fungus.
Why fungus?
Why fungus, indeed. It’s a question I have been asked when people learn that this is my apparently peculiar interest. There are many facets, and whilst I can pinpoint a particular memory in my mid 20s of a family walk in Kielder Forest, my mother delicately raising a fern at the edge of the path to reveal a burgundy-red gem of a russula, and then glancing deeper into the forest undergrowth, more of these treasures appeared. This spurred my curiosity and I gradually started reading more about the world of mushrooms. The magic of mushrooms (and I’m not talking about psilocybin!), the magic that fungus provides to our ecosystems and habitats, crucial to life from assisting with decomposition, directly providing fauna and flora alike with critical nutrients like no other living organism, their incredible diversity in what they look like, continues to hold my attention and draw me in. Whilst mycology is growing in popularity thanks to various elements including renewed interests in foraging and developments in mycoremediation, it remains still a somewhat overlooked, though highly significant part of our ecosystems.
The Russula in Kielder Forest that catalysed my interest, 17th August 2011
The way fungus interact in their environment, with other living organisms and inert elements, providing a network of life, can teach us something positive about the way we can fit into the natural world and how we live alongside other humans and living beings. The more I learn and read about mycology, the more exponentially infinite this world seems.
Who am I?
I grew up in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with vivid memories of family walks in the surrounding countryside, from Brimham Rocks to Ingleton Falls and everywhere in between, providing me with a wonder and fascination of nature. When I grew up, I gained a degree in painting and followed this path until my late 20s. A number of experiences brought me to a huge change of heart, inspiring me to explore and reconnect with my love of the natural world, cemented by those fortuitous memories growing up. I became both interested in environmental conservation and sustainable food-growing.
I studied some basic courses and volunteered for a couple of local wildlife trusts alongside my day job in Wakefield. I was then lucky enough to be accepted to join a volunteer project in Malta and Sicily. I was here for 11 months, we worked to conserve protected habitats, remove invasive plant species, designed and grew an organic vegetable garden and renovated buildings. I returned to the UK and studied Biology and Environmental Conservation A Levels, did some WWoofing and then completed an internship on an organic vegetable farm near Kilkenny. I now live in Dublin and for my day job I work in an office, and on the weekends I can be found foraying, reading or gardening.
I am inspired by, and hugely grateful to, those who make mycology accessible to the general public whether it be writing books, field guides and leading groups whether on Facebook, or in real life.
I look forward to sharing my learning journey with you.
Subscribe via WordPress and follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
All images owned by me, Fiona Halliday, owner and author of Mushroomination, unless otherwise stated. Logo kindly designed and donated by Kraig Morrisroe – talented graphic designer.
Mushroomination 