Peterson Field Guide to Mushrooms of North America

About this book

A new approach to identifying mushrooms based on five key features that can be observed while in the field. Toadstools, truffles, boletes and morels, witches' butter, conks, corals, puffballs and earthstars: mushrooms are both mysterious and ecologically essential. They can also be either delicious or deadly.

Thousands of different species of mushrooms appear across North America in the woods, backyards, and in unexpected corners. Learning to distinguish them is a rewarding challenge for a naturalist or chef. Covering most of the common edible and poisonous species readers are likely to encounter, this portable-sized field guide takes a new, simple approach to the method of mushroom identification based on key features that do not require a microscope or technical vocabulary.

In addition to the watercolours from the original edition, hundreds more illustrations have been added. These paintings make use of the limited space available in a field guide and focus on the distinguishing details of each species, thereby serving as an ideal tool for beginner and intermediate mycologists alike.

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Biography

Karl McKnight is a professor of biology at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. Joseph Rohrer taught botany at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire for over 30 years. Kirsten McMnight Ward is a botanist, artist, designer, and educator. Kent McKnight was a world-renowned mycologist and the author of the first edition of the Peterson Field Guide to Mushrooms.