This week on For The Wild, we journey along the “Redwood Coast” with naturalist Christian Schwarz to revisit a favorite being, the mushroom. Wandering in recognition of the rich Redwood system, we are reminded that old-growth is where macrofungi are most diverse. Alongside our discussion of this incredible diversity, we also look at the reality that the Earth is poised to experience a significant decrease in fungal diversity due to climate change. Sitting with these realities, Christian prompts us to quiet ourselves enough to listen to mushrooms and the tremendous forest ecosystem fungi are a part of.

Christian Schwarz is a naturalist currently living in Santa Cruz, the land of milk (caps) and honey (mushrooms). He studied Ecology and Evolution at UCSC, and now spends his time photographing, teaching about, collecting, and researching macrofungi. He is co-author of “Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast”. Fungi satisfy his curiosity with their seemingly endless forms – from the grotesque to the bizarre to the sublimely beautiful. Besides dabbling in mushroom taxonomy, he loves fish, plants, nudibranchs, moths, and dragonflies. He is and passionate about citizen science, especially iNaturalist.

Beginning with fungal diversity, our conversation with Christian grows to discuss the global mushroom market, migration patterns, and invasive versus native fungi. Christian also highlights the importance of appreciating biodiversity from an aesthetic point, which is especially appropriate considering that while much of the world of fungi remain invisible to us, the macrofungi that we can see, remain bizarre and beautiful at once. If you have ever been curious about the Earthly delights of fungi and want to begin with some basics, this episode is for you. 

♫ Music by Grant Earl LaValley and Dimples’ (Greg Hartunian)

Episode References

Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast by Noah Siegel & Christian Schwarz 

As Temperatures Change, What Organisms Move North to California by Christian Schwarz (2019)