The Burke Museum hosted the Puget Sound Mycological Society for the first ever Mushroom Maynia on Sunday, May 4, 2008. The day included mushroom identification, demonstrations of mushroom cultivation, fascinating fungi facts, and many other fun activities for children and adults.

Visitors learned about how mushrooms fit into the ecosystem, including learning why mushrooms are more closely related to animals than plants and discovering the invaluable symbiotic relationship between fungi and many members of the plant kingdom. There were displays of dyes and crayons made from mushrooms, art inspired by mushrooms, and a wide variety of books on mycology including a rare edition of prints from the early 19th century. The mushroom hat activity was a highlight for the little ones, and the mushroom cultivation demonstrations also provide an unexpected outlet for “getting-your-hands-dirty” fun.

Mushroom Maynia was made possible by the Stuntz Foundation, and the Peg and Rick Young Foundation.

More fun for fungi lovers ... check out the Burke Museum's Mushroom of the Month!