Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest: A Simple Guide to Common Mushrooms

by Teresa Marrone, Kathy Yerrich

Hundreds of full-color photos with easy-to-understand text make this a great visual guide to learning about nearly 400 species of common wild mushrooms found in the Upper Midwest, between the Dakotas and Indiana. The species (from Death Cap to Morel Mushrooms) are organized by shape, then by color, so you can identify them by their visual characteristics. Plus, with the Top Edibles and Top Toxics sections, you'll begin to learn which are the edible wild mushrooms. The information is accessible to beginners but useful for even experienced mushroom seekers.

Genres: Field Guides, Nonfiction, Reference, Nature, Science, Agriculture

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2014

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an utterly phenomenal resource that would be essential for any beginner/intermediate mycologist or wild food forager. It teaches characteristics upfront, then describes common/sought-after/edible mushrooms first using the characteristics, then finishes up with uncommon/toxic mushrooms to stay away from. All entries are accompanied by multiple photos.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a mushroom and plant foraging guide in Minneapolis. You can find me at instagram: @MNforager and on Facebook at: Ironwood Foraging Co.

This is a fantastic field guide. You're not going to be able to identify everything with it, but that's not the point of a field guide. This book is going to hit all of the most common mushrooms you'll find in Minnesota. I wish there were more pictures but I always wish there were more pictures.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great beginners book for mushroom identification and the local focus isn’t overwhelming to be able to review! Will definitely be picking up a copy of my own.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly helpful field guide that is accessible to even the most novice of beginners. I never go outside without it these days.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and well organized! I got to know mushrooms mostly from the incredible All That The Rain Promises And More, but the local focus and clear identification info in this one make it a much better guide to toss in your bag.

[Henry Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an ok guide book, pretty reliable when apps don't do the trick

[Francesco Marchio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book for an encyclopedia for mushrooms of the Midwest. Some very helpful tips for foragers

[Rey Cruz-Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and informative!

[Ryan Heckman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great book about mushrooms. I was so absorbed reading it.

[Logan Spader · Rating 5 out of 5]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this book! I own five mushroom foraging books and "Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest" is easily the smallest book while being the one that helps me most in the field. This means it ALWAYS travels in my daypack. If you're like me and you're obsessed with mycology then you may prefer Michael Kuo's book "Mushrooms of the Midwest" since it leaves out confusing common names and gets straight down to scientific business. On the other hand, if you are new to mushroom hunting and just want to start eating those yummy fungi then this is the book you want!

A few guides that I have used for South Dakota & Minnesota: "Mushrooms Demystified" David Arora, "Mushrooms" Simon & Schuster, "Mushrooms of the Midwest" by Michael Kuo, and this one.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so helpful. As a person who is just learning to see mushrooms in the woods it has led me to use my eyes in the whole new way. I love knowing whether something I find is edible or not. Pictures are clear and the writing is very accessible to a person new to the topic!

[Kelly Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

So helpful and small enough to carry out with me on hikes or even to have on me while walking around. It’s helped a lot as a beginner forager! Lots of very helpful info and it breaks it down so I can understand what the traits are and how to identify.

[Shannon Telles lisowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has become my bible for mushroom hunting. Clear pictures and great advice. Anyone that is starting out with mushrooms and foraging needs this book!