Fungi forays mushroom in Delhi

Delhi’s mycelium-loving family expands every weekend as new members join fungi forays in the city’s woods and parks. From finding fascinating specimens on rotting wood stumps to spotting different varieties on the bark of trees, seasoned shroom seekers and curious beginners spot mushrooms, pick some and take pictures as they navigate these green spaces during their mushroom hunt.

“Monsoon is a great time to find mushrooms while you venture into lush green environments like Sanjay Van, Hauz Khas Forest, Lodhi Garden and Sunder Nursery,” suggests Malavika Bhatia, a seasoned mushroom forager and curator of the walk.

Foragers pluck out wolf’s milk slime from a tree trunk (R)

‘Forays make you realise that you’re a part of something bigger’
The onset of monsoon is when mushrooms fruit and grow. On one such walk in Sanjay Van, the foraging group spotted splitgill fungus, jelly fan, dead man’s fingers, reishi, puffball, wolf’s milk slime, stinkhorn, orange pinwheel mushrooms, to name a few.

Talking about the growing interest in foraying walks, Malavika says, “As ecological grief and anxiety mount up, people in the city want to connect with nature. Such walks make you realise you’re a part of something bigger. Finding mushrooms can give you a sense of wonder. One needs to understand that fungal habitats co-exist, and only then will they care for them. Mushrooms are important for the urban environment; they decompose organic matter and make the soil fertile. Right now, the mushroom revolution has taken over India!”

A beginner’s guide to foraging

• Tag along with an expert or join a foraging walk
• Take the help of a field guide to identify the fungi
• Carry a wicker basket if you wish to forage mushrooms
• Pluck out only the mature mushrooms. A fully-opened cap of a mushroom means they have spread the spores, which are the seeds
• Every fungi can be touched and felt, but not eaten until identified as edible
• Avoid eating just any mushroom that you forage. Take the help of the expert to identify whether it is edible.
• One can identify the mushrooms by taking a spore print and ID’ing the mushroom

Pics: Lokesh Kashyap
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