Fungi delight and intrigue and provide the connective network of terrestrial ecosystems. The forests surrounding the Margaret River Region have some of the most diverse and bizarre fungi in the state.

Roz Hart has been intrigued by and interested in fungi as long as she can remember. Roz said she "remembered noticing and enjoying fungi in the Boranup forest when caving as a University student many years ago and has friends from that time that she still shares her fungi passion with". Roz Hart is a microbiologist, trained at UWA and taught Microbiology at UWA for some years before becoming an environmental consultant specialising in dieback surveys.

As a follow-on from the Fungi talk on Thursday the 18th of May Roz Hart will be leading a Fungi Foray Walk on Friday the 19th of May at 10am.

Firstly, she will teach people about bush hygiene and cleaning boots as we move from one area to another then on the walks, Roz will show people how and where to look for fungi to help them “get their eye in”. You will learn how to recognise the various diagnostic characteristics used to identify fungi in the field. Fungi will be discussed in regard to their ecological roles. Roz will also cover when we find fungi, how to use your smartphone cameras and what sort of photos to take.

The walk will then finish with a hot drink to summarise and cover resources available and how to enter photos in iNaturalist to help them get identified.

The location will be sent to participants just before the event due to the nature of fungi and environmental factors affecting their emergence.

This walk is a For Nature Landholder stewardship walk and is reserved to For Nature members. The For Nature Landholder Stewardship Program is free to register for and comes with loads of benefits, like grants for conservation work at your place and free equipment hire. Please register here: https://www.natureconservation.org.au/for-nature/

For Nature is proudly supported by funding from the West Australian Government’s State Natural Resources Management Program, the Water Corporation and the Shire of Augusta Margaret River