Mushroom Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Fungal Lives

An hourly guide that spotlights twenty-four fungus species as they spread spores, find food, and adapt to a changing planet.

On this mushroom-filled day, ecologist Alison Pouliot tours the world to introduce readers to a fascinating variety of fungi. Each chapter of Mushroom Day introduces a single fungus during a single hour, highlighting twenty-four different species.

In the dark of the night, the green glow of the ghost fungus guides us into the forest to learn about the mysteries of bioluminescence. At dawn, we awaken to find a fairy ring of mushrooms that has appeared overnight like something out of folklore. But we don’t have much time to linger, as we must reach the Italian forest before other porcino hunters forage the morning’s fattest and finest. In the heat of the afternoon, the ripe stench of the stinkhorn might send us out of the woods, while the enticing aroma of the aniseed funnel lures us back in. Late in the evening we spy a fungus known as the witches cauldron and wonder what it might tell us about the future. By the end of our mushroom day, we’ll have glimpsed the diversity of this unique kingdom, met fungus friends that feed and fascinate, and learned how humans can encourage their flourishing.

For each hour, celebrated artist Stuart Patience has depicted these scenes with evocative pen and ink illustrations. Working together to narrate and illustrate these unique moments in time, Pouliot and Patience have created an engaging read that is a perfect way to spend an hour or two--and a true gift for foragers, mycophiles, and anyone who wants to stop and appreciate fungi.

Alison Pouliot is an ecologist and photographer with a passion for fungi. She has written several books, including Funga Obscura: Photo Journeys Among Fungi and Meetings with Remarkable Mushrooms, also published by the University of Chicago Press. Stuart Patience is a London-based illustrator whose hand-drawn work has appeared in outlets including The Guardian, The New Yorker, The New York Times, New Scientist, and the World Wildlife Fund.