The mushroom is not the organism
A mushroom is a spore-bearing fruiting body. Most of the fungus is a mycelium you never see, and many fungi never make a mushroom at all.
Mycopsyco · field atlas
Open the cabinet. Not the feed.
This is a specimen atlas of fungi: concept rooms, fieldcraft, cultivation notes, and essays that dig in. Scroll for wayfinding — the reverse-chronological wall is only one shelf.
Field atlas
Enter by room
Five rooms, one journal. Pick a door — essays live inside, but so do hubs, concepts, and field notes.
- hyphaScienceMechanisms, anatomy, and claims that outrun evidence.
- sporeForagingFieldcraft, ethics, and the limits of identification.
- blockCultivationKits, spawn, substrate, and contamination as ecology.
- inkNewsHow to read fungal headlines without the hype.
- ringCultureLanguage, food history, and metaphors marked as such.
Featured specimens
Scroll sideways · open a concept, not just a date
SPC-01ScienceMyceliumThe vegetative network most of a fungus lives as — usually hidden, rarely the mushroom.Open dossierSPC-02ScienceSporesReproductive cells, not seeds. They do not carry a miniature mushroom and a packed lunch.Open dossierSPC-03ScienceMycorrhizaeRoot–fungus partnerships with real nutrient trade — and a metaphor that often runs ahead.Open dossierSPC-04ScienceFruiting bodiesMushrooms, brackets, cups, puffballs: temporary spore factories, not the whole organism.Open dossierSPC-05ForagingField basicsEthics, spore prints vs folk tests, seasonality caveats — without certifying a meal.Open dossierSPC-06CultivationCultivation hubWhat a kit is doing, what spawn is, and why contamination is ecology in a box.Open dossier
How to read this place
Information lives in rooms, not only in essays
Search engines and humans both land mid-journey. That is why Mycopsyco keeps dense, original copy on hubs — field basics, cultivate, and concept pages like mycelium andspores — with essays as dossiers you open when you want depth.
We prefer mechanism over myth. We do not invent studies, rankings, prices, or quotes. We will not certify a wild mushroom as food.
Ink strip
All news essays- How to read a fungal discovery headlineA new species name, a chemical in a dish, and a press release are different kinds of news. How to read the gaps a fungal headline usually skips.
- How to read a paper abstractAn abstract is a compressed claim, not the evidence. How to scan methods, hedging words, and study type before the press release does it for you.
- Citizen science and iNaturalist caveatsCommunity observations are powerful records of place and time. A research-grade badge is still not the same as a monographer’s yes.
Reference
A pocket glossary
Mycelium, hymenium, substrate, volva, spawn — plain-language terms that recur across the atlas. Cross-linked from concept pages so a definition is never more than one hop away.
Essay dossiers
One shelf among many — newest dossiers first. Prefer a room or a specimen if you arrived with a question.
Spores are not seeds
A spore is a reproductive cell, not a miniature mushroom with a packed lunch. Why the plant analogy misleads field guides, kits, and headlines.
How to read a fungal discovery headline
A new species name, a chemical in a dish, and a press release are different kinds of news. How to read the gaps a fungal headline usually skips.
How to read a paper abstract
An abstract is a compressed claim, not the evidence. How to scan methods, hedging words, and study type before the press release does it for you.
What “mycorrhizal” means without the myth
Mycorrhizae are root–fungus partnerships that trade carbon for nutrients. They are widespread, measurable, and still not a chatting forest.
Citizen science and iNaturalist caveats
Community observations are powerful records of place and time. A research-grade badge is still not the same as a monographer’s yes.