Join Jess Evans, amateur mycologist and current president of the Pioneer Valley Mycological Association, for this two-hour guided presentation on common edible fungi of Western Massachusetts and toxic look-alikes. The first step in considering eating wild fungi is understanding which mushrooms are not for eating! Participants will leave with knowledge on common mushrooms and distinguishing characteristics, identification tools, and responsible collection practices.

Jess Evans, amateur mycologist and outdoor educator
Jess (she/they) grew up near Hartford, Connecticut and moved to the Pioneer Valley in 2016 to finish her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education at UMass – a career change after ten years working in the medical field. Jess and her kiddo Ari live in Shutesbury.  Jess grew up in a family that loved the outdoors; her dad would often bring in mushrooms to try to identify, and the Audubon guide was always on the bookshelf among many other nature guides. However, she didn’t become serious about fungi until just prior to moving to Massachusetts.

Jess began seriously studying mushrooms after joining the Pioneer Valley Mycological Association in 2016 and has been president of the club since 2017. Jess is passionate about mushrooms! She enjoys mushroom photography and collecting and identifying specimens for citizen science. Jess loves leading walks that include family groups, as Ari, age 13, is an avid mushroomer as well! Jess also leads mushroom walks for local libraries and community groups and gives presentations on a variety of mushroom topics such as Edible Fungi and Poisonous Lookalikes and Fungi and Climate Change.

Although Jess enjoys some edible mushroom species, their primary interests are in broadening their skills at identifying fungi and learning more about fungal ecology. Beyond fungi, Jess is a full-time outdoor educator and camp director at Morse Hill Outdoor Education Center in Shutesbury and enjoys vegetable gardening in the summer and snowshoeing in the winter.