How to make a spore print
The color of mushroom spores helps identify individual species of mushrooms. Some mushrooms have white spores. Some have brown spores, others have pink or nearly orange spores. There’s a lot of variation among spore color, just as there’s a lot of variation among mushrooms. For many species, such as the poisonous Green-spored Lepiota, the color of the spores is a conclusive diagnostic trait.
 
Since individual mushroom spores are too tiny to be seen by the naked eye, making a spore print, where thousands of dust-like spores appear together, is a fun way to reveal spore color.    
 
How do you make a spore print?
 
It’s really simple. Just lay a fresh cap of a mushroom on a piece of paper. We recommend using both light and dark paper, since light or dark spores need contrast. Cover the mushroom with a bowl to reduce the disturbance of wandering air currents, then wait several hours or overnight.
 
Remove the bowl and lift the mushroom cap. Presto. You’ve made a spore print.