By Tanya Steele
Mushroom spotting walks hosted by volunteers from the Healesville community garden have proved popular this month and the group has added a third walk over the weekend of 19 and 20 of May.
Volunteer Marcus Kaye has always loved nature and said he enjoyed showing people some of the more common mushroom varieties growing wild around the region.
“A few years ago fungi began to catch my eye, so I began to research and learn more about them,” he said.
From Badger Weir to Chum Creek, Marcus said you can always find something when you meander through nature.
“I love the area around Healesville, the forests and the rivers, it’s an amazing place and the mushrooms are abundant,” he said.
Marcus moved to the area in the last two years and decided to help with workshops as a way to connect with the local community.
“I did a mushroom walk about a year ago and started with one attendee, but I have run other gardening themed workshops, also jam making, pruning, propagating and planting,” he said.
The mushroom walks have grown quite popular and the community garden now gets full groups of 25 people along.
Marcus said people appreciate the diversity of the fungi and that people like to use photography and painting to capture the colours and shapes of the different types.
“I feel there has been a real boom in the interest towards it and there’s that connection with nature,” he said.
Marcus is also a chef and has an interest in the edible types that grow wild regions, but cautions against eating anything unless you have training and experience.
The walks have been enjoyable for the public as some attendees had never spotted the mushrooms growing on paths they’ve walked many times before, Marcus said that taking a closer look around can really enhance a person’s experience.
“It’s a good chance to share information and to connect with people with the same interests,” he said.
