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Take a guided tour of the MCBG Mushroom Collection! The Gardens is home to more than 160 species of wild mushrooms during fall and winter. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of macrofungi. Generally hidden underground, these reproductive structures lie dormant until the rainy season, when they sprout above the soil from organic material.
Enjoy this introduction to mushroom identification, followed by a guided walk with Naturalist and Mycologist Mario Abreu, each Monday from November 16 through December 21. Mario will begin with an approximately 45-minute introduction, followed by a 2-hour guided field walk.
Mushrooms found at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens should stay at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens... Please, DO NOT PICK OR COLLECT from our botanical collection!
The Details
Terrain: The Field Walk includes main trails, narrower side trails with some uneven terrain, and occasional off-trail exploration. The walk also involves standing for extended periods. Mobility devices are not suitable for the off-trail portions of the walk.
Be prepared for the weather with appropriate layers and wear good walking shoes.
We recommend bringing along a refillable water bottle, a notebook, a pen, and a camera if desired.
Walk Registration
Capacity is limited! Registration for this guided walk must be completed in advance online or at the MCBG Store. The registration fee is $31.00 per participant and covers your admission for the day. The discounted rate for current MCBG Members is $21.00 – sign in to access your discount.
All fees are non-refundable unless the walk has been canceled or rescheduled by the Gardens. Proceeds support our nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Your participation in our workshops, walks, and events directly fuels our education programs, makes free school field trips possible, and helps people of all ages and backgrounds build meaningful connections with plants and the beauty of the natural world.
Thanks from the MCBG Team and all who enjoy this garden by the sea!
About the Instructor
Mario Abreu retired from the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens as the Plant Propagation Supervisor, Natural Areas Coordinator, and Collections Curator after 20 years. Mario holds degrees in Natural History, and Liberal Arts and Science. He has interned for the California Department of Fish and Game Mesocarnivore Assessment, Denver Botanical Gardens Applied Plant Conservation Program, and the College of the Redwoods Plant/Lichen Herbarium.
Mario has led guided mushroom walks at the Gardens for more than 19 years and Mushroom Identification classes for the past 16 years. Additionally, he has provided mushroom walks for the California State Parks/Mendo Parks New Year’s Day Event, Visit Mendocino County Mushroom Festival Events, and private tours.
Mario is a passionate natural history volunteer docent for the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, California State Parks, MendoParks, Dorothy King Young Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, and the UC Berkeley Sudden Oak Death Blitz Citizen Science Program. He also finds time to manage natural history displays at the Ford House Museum in Mendocino that include wildflowers, mushrooms, and the local Ecological Terrace Staircase and its associated Pygmy Forest plant community.
Contact us
If you have any questions about accessibility or our Education Program, call us at 707-964-4352 ext 113 or email administration@gardenbythesea.org.
