Thank you for taking the time to visit the Devon Fungus Group website.
We are a small and friendly group that was first formed in 1993. Our main activity is visiting wildlife sites in Devon with the aim of finding and recording the fungi that occur there. We are affiliated to the British Mycological Society and the Fungus Conservation Trust and submit our records to their databases. We have contributed many thousands of records, many of which are for species new to Devon. We are not a foraging group and although we are not against the consumption of wild fungi by individuals we are opposed to the commercial collecting of wild fungi because of potential impacts on our beautiful and diverse fungal flora. We do not give any advice on the edibility of wild fungi.
We hold our meetings from March to December, usually on a Sunday morning. Membership of the group costs only £3.00 with no extra charge for couples living at the same address. This is tremendous value! Why? Because in addition to joining in our foraying activities, members also have free access to our library and it may be possible to borrow a microscope. Additionally, our foray programme normally includes an identification workshop where beginners can receive tuition from our more experienced members.
We hope this website has aroused your interest. Studying fungi at any level is an intriguing hobby. Not everyone desires to be an expert and many of our members are content to come along and simply join in the hunt for these often beautiful organisms. Children are welcome as they are usually adept at finding the tiniest and most difficult fungi. (Is it sharper eyes or being closer to the ground?) On the other hand, if you want a challenge that will tax your skill and intellect whilst opening up a whole new world through microscopy, fungi are for you!