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If you’ve been on a hike and seen a pinedrop, you might have thought, “Hey, why isn’t that green? Isn’t it a plant?” Well, it is! But it doesn’t do the one thing that makes plants so unique – it

Author Sherry Anderson has a quote that sums up the value of volunteers quite well: “Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.” We in the Research &

Mushrooms are wondrous and curious organisms. They grow in bizarre ways and places, but this aspect of their nature draws people to them like artists to Burning Man or foodies to a Michelin-starred

Attaching an appropriate species name to a mushroom can be a surprisingly challenging task. Like most organisms, fungi have been primarily classified by their morphology, the physical characteristics

Being able to explore the diversity of our world is one of the privileges of being part of the Research & Conservation Department at Denver Botanic Gardens. One of the challenges we face is in

When fungal specimens are rare, or large and unique in their shapes, hikers and lovers of Mother Nature’s beauty will usually pay considerable attention to them when they find them in their natural

The amazingly diverse kingdom of Fungi has recently gained increased attention from the world of bioscience, nature lovers and citizen scientists. Because of brilliant new technologies developed in

The Colorado Mycological Society’s (CMS) Annual Mushroom Fair has always been a major summer event for Denver Botanic Gardens, sometimes drawing more than 2,000 visitors in a single day. While we were

I have, at different times, been a student intern, volunteer and seasonal employee with the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi (DBG) at Denver Botanic Gardens since December 2017. This spring I was

Mushroom hobbyists and foragers may be familiar with milk-cap mushrooms, a type of fungus named for their fruiting bodies that produce a “milky” or latex-like substance, especially when cut or

After a rain, it’s not uncommon for me to see small white-capped mushrooms popping up in the turf. Many people start worrying – does it mean the grass is unhealthy? Does it mean they’re doing