How to make a spore print

Autumn is the time for fungi forays, so here’s a simple way to create a spore print. Do take care though: some species are poisonous.

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Sarah McPherson

Published: November 12, 2014 at 8:18 am

All illustrations by Alan Batley

Pick a mushroom that is mature but not yet in decay. Mushrooms with large, flat caps are ideal.

Next, cover the cap with a bowl and wait at least 12 hours for the spores to be released.

Lift up the fungus – it should have dropped its spores, leaving a lovely imprint on the paper. You could frame it, make it into a card or keep it in a plastic wallet for reference.

Sarah McPherson

Features editor, BBC Wildlife Magazine

Sarah is features editor for BBC Wildlife Magazine. She has been on the title for more than a decade, and in previous lives has also been the magazine’s section editor, acting deputy editor and production editor. Sarah commissions scientists, writers and photographers from across the globe, and has worked with some of the world’s most renowned wildlife experts. She also regularly writes features - on topics ranging from birding in Colombia to the plight of wildlife rangers - and other content for both the magazine and the website.

Illustrations by Alan Batley

How to make a spore print

Pick a mushroom that is mature but not yet in decay. Mushrooms with large, flat caps are ideal.

Next, cover the cap with a bowl and wait at least 12 hours for the spores to be released.

Lift up the fungus – it should have dropped its spores, leaving a lovely imprint on the paper. You could frame it, make it into a card or keep it in a plastic wallet for reference.

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