Explore a month of fungi fun with the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History!
Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of mushrooms through expert-led adventures, creative art projects celebrating their beauty and diversity, and opportunities to connect with fellow mushroom enthusiasts. Discover the wonders of the forest floor and deepen your appreciation for these mycological marvels.
Early Members Registration opens Tuesday, January 14th at 12 a.m.
Slots fill up fast! Become a member to access early registration and other perks!
General Registration opens Wednesday, January 15th at 12 a.m.
Upcoming Events
2/1 Land Trust Walk: West Glenwood Mushroom Exploration
In collaboration with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, adventure through exclusive areas as you partake in a fungus exploration! Guided by a master mycologist, prepare to venture into the unknown as you scout for seasonal mushrooms. Open to ages 12+. Appropriate for all skill levels.
Saturday, February 1st at various times
West Glenwood Open Space Preserve
2/2 Art Workshop: Fungus Forms & Features in Watercolor
Capture the intricate beauty of mushrooms with watercolors. Spotlighting local Santa Cruz County mushrooms as models, participants will learn how to paint the nuanced features of these stunning seasonal subjects.
Sunday, February 2nd from 6 – 8 p.m.
Outside the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
2/5 Naturalist Night: An Endangered Mushroom & CA’s eDNA
Join us in kicking off Fungus February with the best mushroom mystery story you’ve never heard! In collaboration with UCSC’s Genomics Institute, learn about how a state-of-the-art DNA database was hacked in order to uncover the hidden locations and scientific secrets of California’s most endangered mushroom.
Wednesday, February 5th from 6 – 8 p.m.
Inside the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
2/8 Land Trust Walk: San Vicente Redwoods Mushroom Exploration
In collaboration with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, adventure through exclusive areas as you partake in a fungus exploration! Guided by a master mycologist, prepare to venture into the unknown as you scout for seasonal mushrooms. Open to ages 12+. Appropriate for all skill levels.
Saturday, February 8th at various times
San Vicente Redwoods
2/8 & 2/9 Workshop: Flameworking & Glassblowing
Celebrate Fungus February with a fiery twist! Join us for a hands-on flameworking workshop where you’ll create a unique glass mushroom pendant. Guided by a master artist, you’ll melt and shape glass using specialized tools at your own station. Open to ages 16+, suitable for all skill levels, with materials and safety gear included.
Saturday & Sunday, February 8th – 9th at various times
Outside the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
2/15 Land Trust Walk: Antonelli Pond Mushroom Exploration
In collaboration with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, adventure through exclusive areas as you partake in a fungus exploration! Guided by a master mycologist, prepare to venture into the unknown as you scout for seasonal mushrooms. Open to ages 12+. Appropriate for all skill levels.
Saturday, February 15th at various times
Inside the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
2/15 & 2/16 Workshop: Flameworking & Glassblowing
Celebrate Fungus February with a fiery twist! Join us for a hands-on flameworking workshop where you’ll create a unique glass mushroom pendant. Guided by a master artist, you’ll melt and shape glass using specialized tools at your own station. Open to ages 16+, suitable for all skill levels, with materials and safety gear included.
Saturday & Sunday, February 15th – 16th at various times
Outside the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
2/19 Naturalist Night: Cordyceps, Cappuccinos, & Mind Control
Fungus February just got a whole lot spookier, especially when the topic is parasitic zombie fungi! Learn about the sinister Cordyceps mushroom that infects insects using mind-controlling spores and turns them into the walking dead.
Wednesday, February 19th from 6 – 8 p.m.
Inside the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
2/21 Workshop: Spore Prints & Mushroom Painting
Explore the art and science of mushrooms in this unique workshop! Using local Santa Cruz County mushrooms as inspiration and medium, you’ll learn to paint and print with spores and gills. The class includes step-by-step guidance from a master mushroom artist, covering spore pressing, layering, color theory, and more, plus a lecture on mushroom biology.
Friday, February 5th from 6 – 8 p.m.
Inside the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
2/22 Land Trust Walk: East Glenwood Mushroom Exploration
In collaboration with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, adventure through exclusive areas as you partake in a fungus exploration! Guided by a master mycologist, prepare to venture into the unknown as you scout for seasonal mushrooms. Open to ages 12+. Appropriate for all skill levels.
Saturday, February 22nd at various times
East Glenwood Open Space Preserve
2/26 Naturalist Night: Sky Islands, Sea Islands, Dry Islands, & the Biogeography of Macrofungi
Making maps of the distributions of organisms is one of the most fascinating topics in all of natural history. The theory of island biogeography serves as an ideal starting point in understanding broader patterns of how life travels from adaptation to extinction. How do fungi behave in comparison to other groups of organisms? In what ways do island-dwelling individuals differ from their mainland cousins? Come on an expedition to uncover the geographical mysteries of mushrooms!
Wednesday, February 26th from 6 – 8 p.m.
Inside the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
2/28 Naturalist Night: Fluorescent Fungi & Bioluminescent (DNA) Barcodes
Glowing, glowing, gone! For the last lecture of Fungus February, explore the brilliant world of bioluminesce. In this illuminating lecture, learn about the fluorescing fungi that glow under ultraviolet light, mushrooms that create their own light, even in complete darkness, and what in their DNA is coded for them to exhibit these beautiful characteristics. Using hundreds of high quality photos, explore the mysterious world of bioluminescent and fluorescent fungi, and shine some light on the science of their unique DNA.
Friday, February 28th from 6 – 8 p.m.
Inside the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History