We have a busy summer ahead. Here’s what’s coming up, from community outreach talks around San Diego to hands-on workshops at our home in Balboa Park. This summer, SDMYCO vice president Tilly Sirota is taking our introductory mushroom talk on the road. These two events are a little different from our usual programming: rather than hosting, SDMYCO is the invited guest at events put on by…
Blog
Cuts to arts and culture funding could mean the difference between survival and crisis
What does $300,000 mean to the city of San Diego? Compared to a $6.4 billion budget, it’s a rounding error. For the San Diego Natural History Museum, it could mean the difference between survival and crisis.
Make Mushroom Art with Us at Our Annual Summer Potluck
This June, we’re combining two of our favorite things: making art and sharing food. Join us on Monday, June 1st at Casa Del Prado in Balboa Park for Art in the Park & Summer Potluck — our annual evening of creativity, community, and (of course) mushrooms. This year, we’re making it count. We’ll be creating original mushroom-themed artwork to hide around San Diego for Game of Shrooms…
Breaking news: San Diego is home to banana slugs
In 2016, the first iNaturalist observation of a banana slug on Palomar Mountain was uploaded. Our invertebrate zoology team visited the mountain to look for this mysterious banana slug population. Spoiler alert: they found it. Now, they're trying to figure out whether it's a relict population, or an introduced one.
Making Scents of Fungi: From Stench to Perfume with Christian Schwarz
Mushroom hunters have long known that a quick sniff can tell you almost as much as a careful look. That instinct, often dismissed as quirky, turns out to be a surprisingly powerful tool for fungal identification. This May, the San Diego Mycological Society (SDMYCO) is excited to welcome educator and naturalist Christian Schwarz for a lecture titled Making Scents of Fungi: From Stench to…
Making Scents of Fungi: From Stench to Perfume with Christian Schwarz
Mushroom hunters have long known that a quick sniff can tell you almost as much as a careful look. That instinct, often dismissed as quirky, turns out to be a surprisingly powerful tool for fungal identification. This May, the San Diego Mycological Society (SDMYCO) is excited to welcome educator and naturalist Christian Schwarz for a lecture titled Making Scents of Fungi: From Stench to…
Join SDMYCO at Earth Fest 2026 in Balboa Park!
Join the San Diego Mycological Society this Saturday, April 25, for Earth Fest, a community-wide Earth Day celebration in the heart of Balboa Park. From 11am to 5pm, we’ll have a booth set up alongside 100+ vendors gathered to celebrate our planet and the incredible ecosystems we share it with. Stop by to meet SDMYCO members, learn about the fascinating world of fungi in Southern California…
Why Fieldwork is at the Heart of our Scientific Research
Our scientists are always working hard behind the scenes at the Museum, but another important aspect of The Nat’s scientific efforts involves studying wildlife in the natural environment—this is called fieldwork. Fieldwork can look very different for scientists depending on their discipline, but the main idea is to observe and study wildlife and plants out in nature.
Why Fieldwork is at the Heart of our Scientific Research
Our scientists are always working hard behind the scenes at the Museum, but another important aspect of The Nat’s scientific efforts involves studying wildlife in the natural environment—this is called fieldwork. Fieldwork can look very different for scientists depending on their discipline, but the main idea is to observe and study wildlife and plants out in nature.
Anchoring Healing Through Nature in San Diego County
Nature is all around us in San Diego County: from coastal wetlands and canyon trails to neighborhood parks and open spaces. But access to nature and the healing benefits it can provide are not experienced equally across our region. We gathered feedback from over 500 people throughout San Diego County and the message was resoundingly clear: nature plays a vital role in our wellbeing.