Workshop – Reading the Fungal Landscape

Beneath our feet, vast fungal networks hum with life. Most plants—from towering trees to every orchid and most grasses—partner with fungi in vital alliances. In our nutrient-poor soils and unpredictable climate, these symbioses are the secret to their success.

The activities of fungi are mapped in their tracks and traces. But how do we read them? And what do they tell us about soil and plant health?

This lively, hands-on workshop begins at the specimen table, where we’ll meet fungi up close and explore their ecological & cultural stories. Then we’ll step outside to hunt for fungi in the field to discover these underground allies in action.

Curry Punk & Devil’s Tooth – The Science & Aesthetics of Fungi

Throughout history, fungi have confounded with their strange appearances and dubious connotations. Humans are sharply divided in their regard for fungi – some revere them, others kick them aside. Centuries of myth and misunderstanding take time to unravel and redress.

Yet without fungi, life as we know it would be unrecognisable. Fungi underpin terrestrial ecosystems, forming cross-kingdom alliances with countless creatures and intimately entwining with plants. As ecological first responders, they kickstart recovery following ecosystem disturbance.

Fungi also wobble our assumptions about life, offering a radical new lens on nature – and even on human society. At the dynamic intersection of science and art, their most compelling possibilities emerge.

In this highly interactive talk Alison explores the ecology and aesthetics of fungi, sharing field experiences from both hemispheres and stories from her adventures during the photographing and writing of her recent book.

Alison’s books will be available for purchase.

Workshop – The Fungal Garden

Fauna and flora are well recognised as part of biodiversity and conservation, but the Third F – the Fungi – are finally receiving more attention. In this workshop you’ll learn about the vital role of fungi in soil, plant and human health.

In this workshop we’ll use fungi as our starting point to learn about the vital architecture they provide in soils and the alliances they form with plants and animals. We’ll discover, up close, how fungi recycle vital nutrients, completing the cycle of life.

Following an interactive indoor identification session around a specimen table we’ll head to the field to the hunt for fungi and their kin. You’ll learn to recognise not just a variety of fungi but the vital clues that help us understand forest histories and health.

The forest is an archive of histories. The interactions of organisms are recorded and mapped in tracks and traces. But how do we read them? And what do they tell us about soil and forest health?

This event is sponsored by Torquay and District Landcare.

Foray – Mushroom Rendezvous

Fungi appear in all manner of guises from mushrooms to puffballs, to corals, to jellies and even kookier forms.

As we wander through the diverse habitat types of the Coastal Forest Lodge bushland, we’ll explore and examine a great range of fungi.

Participants will learn the basics of finding and identifying fungi and their associations with plants and animals.

Don’t forget to bring along your camera or magnifying glass if you have one.

This event is sponsored by Torquay and District Landcare.