Mycology is the study of fungi.

Professional mycologists gather occasionally for meetings to discuss fungi and to share their unique mycological camaraderie. For a few days, they hit the woods in search of mushrooms.

Illinoismushrooms.com creators Gregory M. Mueller (light hat) and Joe McFarland (kneeling) began their professional association at such a place one September in Illinois. Mueller served as president of the Mycological Society of America and as curator of Mycology at The Field Museum in Chicago. In 2009 he became Vice President of Science and Academic Programs at the Chicago Botanic Garden. McFarland is the staff writer and a photographer for an Illinois nature magazine and teaches a mycology class at John A. Logan College.

Their book: “Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States” (University of Illinois Press 2009) was created as a companion guide to this Web site.

Related links:

NEW! Learn about the ancient use of fungi to create fire--plus a how-to video with Joe McFarland

Visit Greg Mueller as he describes the role of fungi in our world and his work at the Chicago Botanic Garden in an embedded You Tube video at: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/research/staff/mueller.php

Check out an Oyster Mushroom-hunting video online with Joe McFarland:

http://www3.wsiu.org/television/infocusarchive/player.php?record=352

Also go on a guided 2009 morel hunt with Joe McFarland at: http://vimeo.com/4499934