Course: Introduction to Fungi

Hosted by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, this one-day practical workshop course offers a deep dive into the diverse kingdom of fungi, exploring their unique biology, life cycles and their vital ecological roles.

Guided by your expert tutor, you will learn how to identify common forms and genera, as well as how to take effective ID photos for recording purposes. This outdoor session takes place at Hilton Willow Pit Nature Reserve - a wet woodland environment which supports an array of fungus types - ideal for putting your new-found field skills into practice!

If you have ever been curious about fungus but didn't know where to start, this session is sure to ignite a life-long fasciation with these extraordinary organisms.

Level: Beginner / little or no prior fungi ID experience

Things to bring:
As this is a fully outdoor course, please bring suitable outdoor clothing including good footwear for muddy woodland walking and a packed lunch.

About your tutor:
Ben Spinoza is professional ecologist at Wild Solutions, the ecological consultancy arm of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Ben's particular specialist interest is fungus, having been introduced to these organisms initially through foraging. He quickly became fascinated with this strange and ancient group of species, and has dedicated every Autumn since then to understanding more about them as both a hobbyist and an ecologist. Ben carries out all of the dedicated fungi surveys for Wild Solutions, tracking down and recording rare and threatened species which otherwise might go entirely unnoticed.

Please note this is not a foraging course.