The problem is that, unlike plants, fungi do not get energy from photosynthesis. Scientists used to think of mushrooms and other fungi as special kinds of plants. But the fact remains that we tend to forget about smaller things, especially those that are hidden from view, so let’s take some time to meditate on mushrooms. Now, we aren’t really interested in competition or ranking organisms by levels of interest or importance because every living thing needs the others to survive. Garden scientist Louise Egerton-Warburton recently told me, “Plants are cool, but fungus rules.” As a mycologist, fungus is her passion. The fine lines on this print look like they might have been drawn by an extremely sharp pencil, but the spores that compose the image are much smaller than the tip of a pencil. The swirled edges were made by the uneven surfaces of the mushroom caps. If all goes well, billions of spores will fall from the mushroom and produce a pattern that resembles the gills on the underside of the cap, like this portobello mushroom print.įour shiitake mushrooms leave ghostly impressions on black paper. If your mushrooms are too wet, or are starting to rot, you’ll get more of a watercolor effect instead of a sharp print. Shiitake gills are not as straight and rigid as portobello gills, so you’ll get less gill definition in the print and a more wavy, swirling print.

Portobello prints often show well-defined gills. If the paper absorbed a lot of moisture from the mushrooms, it may need to dry before you see the print very well-especially prints made on black paper. In the morning, carefully lift your bowl and the individual mushrooms and see what you get. They will be covered with a bowl and then left overnight.

These four shiitake mushrooms were placed on black paper. Some mushrooms make both dark and light spore prints. Shiitake mushrooms have white gills and spores that show up better on black paper. Mushrooms with dark gills, like portobellos, have dark spores that show up well on white paper. Place the mushrooms with the gill side down on a piece of paper. I use scissors so I don’t pull up or damage any of the gills. This shiitake mushroom may be a little old-notice the brown spots on the cap’s edges-but should work.įirst, remove the stems.

Address map for spore app