Shroom Spotting in the City

Fungi foray in the urban forests of Delhi.

Aug 11, 2024

When I say Delhi is a city that keeps giving, I really mean it. Not just in terms of history, folklore, architecture, parks, and pollution, but also the number of interesting things to discover here on any given day. There are so many layers to this city that despite living here all my life, I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of it.

In my endeavour to make the most of my last few days in Delhi before I head back to Goa, I signed up for another weekend walk. Except this one didn’t revolve around Mughal history and architecture but tiny organisms present in the most inconspicuous parts of the city.

While a handful of people enjoyed their early morning walk, jog, or a game of cricket in a nearby city forest / DDA park, M, I, and a bunch of enthusiasts went in search of fungi. Yes, you read that right.

Fungi - neither plant nor animal - live underground, on barks of trees and decaying logs, amongst leaf litter, and within dead stumps and insects. They exist in all shapes, sizes, and colours, and break down and digest organic matter for sustenance. While the body of the fungus is called mycelium, the fruit is the mushroom - and this releases spores that germinate to form new fungus. They’re in plain sight but hidden - and like all extraordinary things that lurk in ordinary settings, it’s upon us to be conscious of their existence, or we might blink and miss them.

Fungi can be found in abundance a day or two after a monsoon shower and are safe to touch (though not always safe to eat!). The best part is that once you start spotting them, you can’t stop! It’s just mushrooms, mushrooms everywhere (and no, not the trippy kind).

We spotted a whole variety of them today – the common stinkhorn, earth star, wood ear, wine glass fungi, puffball, decorated mop, orange pinwheel, ink cap, and a bunch of others. Here are some photos for your enjoyment!

M and Shroomery have created a lovely Shroom Spotting deck that features 25 of the most common mushrooms found in protected forests, parks, backyards, and sidewalks in the Indian subcontinent. You can get it here and plan your very own fungi foray ;)