Game of Shrooms is a worldwide yearly event in which participants create and hide small mushroom-themed art pieces and provide clues on social media for others to find them.
The MST will be participating in 2025!
To make it easier for MST members to participate, we are producing some small pre-packaged pieces to give to members to hide, along with some examples of where to hide the pieces and what kind of clues to provide.
Want to participate and hide one of the MST’s art pieces? Let us know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!
The 2025 Annual General Meeting of the Mycological Society of Toronto will be held this year on Wednesday, May 28th at 7:30pm, online via Zoom.
At the Annual Meeting the financial statements from the previous year are reviewed, resolutions for the upcoming year are decided, and MST members elect the incoming Board of Directors.
We have a fantastic AGM planned for you!
Fabulous prizes and games (trivia questions and a door prize of one $75 gift card from Forbes Wild Foods
Participate in the board election
Efficient – we are going to keep the meeting around 45 minutes, so have your whole evening free afterwards!
Remember, this is your MST. All members have a voice and a vote - so if you have an interest in shaping the activities and the future direction of the MST, please attend! We're looking forward to seeing as many members, old and new, as possible at this year's Annual Meeting.
The spring 2025 walk and foray schedule has been finalized. There will be 13 walks and forays scheduled beginning on May 3rd and running through until May 24th, with more to be added soon.
Registration for each walk or foray will open for MST members 1 week before the event date at 12pm. Read more about how to register for walks and forays below.
We need volunteers!
We're always looking for new volunteers to act as guides and assistants during the walks!
Do you want to help but don't think you have the identification knowledge? We still need you! Have you been a member of the MST for a few years but haven't found a way to help out yet? We value that experience, and volunteering for walks and forays is how you can help most.
Did you complete the Intro to Field ID walks last year? You definitely know enough to be a guide for Welcome to Mycology walks. We provide a handbook of teaching material to talk about during the walk, so guide volunteers can help without being worried about their own experience level or being asked too many questions that they can't answer.
Do you know how identification works, how to use field guides, and what parts of fungi are used in identification? You can volunteer to be a guide for Intro to Field ID walks even if you can't instantly identify much on the spot. Members at that level are just starting to learn what you already know.
Are you confident in your identification knowledge? We need leaders for Intermediate Field Identification forays. You won't be on your own at first - we'll pair you with someone who has done it before.
Even if you think you know absolutely nothing, we still need you as an assistant to help members check in at the beginning of walks and forays, and to help find mushrooms for the walk guides to discuss.
If you willing to volunteer a small amount of time to help pass on your interest and experience to new members, please reply to this email or contact our Volunteer Co-ordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Three different walk and foray levels
For 2025 we are continuing our three-level system that helps new and experienced members find the appropriate events for their level of knowledge, experience, and interest. From beginner to advanced, these levels are:
Welcome to Mycology walks: Hour-long walks to welcome new members and provide information about fungi and their role in the environment. This first level is a fun, informative, and family-friendly introduction to mycology
Intro to Field ID walks: Longer walks to discuss types of fungi and teach members how to start identifying them
Lots more information on how each of these levels work and what will be taught can be found on the MST Walk and Foray Levels help page on the website.
Walk and Foray Registration
Registration for each walk or foray will open 1 week before the event date at 12pm. Read about how to register for walks and forays on our help page at https://www.myctor.org/help/foray-registration
Walk and Foray Check-In
Walk and foray participants need to check in online when they arrive at the event site for emergency contact reasons in case anyone becomes injured or lost, and to get credit for attendance. Volunteers will be on site to assist you with this process if any help is required. Read about how to check in at walks and forays on our help page at https://www.myctor.org/help/foray-checkin
Questions about walks and forays?
There's a lot more information on the new walks and forays on the MST Walk and Foray Levels help page and in our Frequently Asked Questions - or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
As part of the MST's membership in the Myco-Consortium series of Zoom talks, MST members are invited to join the presentation on Thursday, June 5th at 7:30pm EDT:
The Midas Mushroom: Ecological Impacts of Invasive Golden Oyster Mushrooms
A talk by Aishwarya Veerabaho Thursday June 5th, 7:30pm EDT
Golden oyster mushrooms (GOM; Pleurotus citrinopileatus) have become the new friendly neighborhood, easily found, edible mushroom- but are they friendly neighbors to local fungi? In this talk, we’ll discuss our findings regarding GOM’s negative impacts, where it could spread to next, and how you all can help out with the research moving forward!
About Aishwarya Veerabaho
Aishwarya Veerabahu is a 3rd year Botany PhD candidate, studying fungal ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, advised by Dr. Anne Pringle, with a PhD minor in Life Science Communication, advised by Dr. Dominique Brossard. She is broadly interested in studying fungal biodiversity, drivers of diversity, cross-kingdom interactions, science communication, and science policy concerning fungi (or the lack thereof!). When she’s not doing science, she’s jamming out with her band.
