Sunday, September 1st, 10am-4pm – Burnstein Hall

Our Annual Show is held on Sunday of Labor Day weekend at the Chicago Botanic Garden. We welcome you to attend and learn more about fungi and the wild mushrooms of Illinois and the Chicago region!

This event will feature an exhibit featuring many local varieties of wild fungi. IMA members and mycologists will be available to chat with the public about mushrooms and give tips on identifying local fungi.

One of the IMA’s major goals is to educate the general public about the importance of fungi and enlighten others about these magnificent organisms. The IMA supports conservation efforts to preserve the integrity of natural areas in order to preserve and promote fungal diversity and communities.

Members of the IMA collect fungi for scientific purposes from spring to fall, and some specimens go to the Field Museum herbarium. In 2016, it was sampling of DNA from Chanterelle mushrooms from Cook County and the Midwest, investigated by a team of mycologists including IMA scientific advisor, Patrick Leacock, that resulted in the formal publication of a new species – our own Chicago fungus, Cantharellus chicagoensis. It and many other types of mushrooms and other fungi will be at the show.

Bring your friends and family to enjoy an early autumn day learning about the wonders of fungi while basking in the beauty of nature at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

The show is free, though there is a fee for parking as well as admission at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

For further information, please contact the Illinois Mycological Association at illinoismyco@gmail.com.