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Spore PrintField Co.

Spore Print · Field Co.

Every mushroom signs its name.

Field mycology as a science, not a punchline. We draw the spore prints, gill diagrams, and cross-sections that turn a guess into an identification — and make them into gear and plates for people who take the woods seriously.

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One unhurried letter each season. No noise, no spam.

SP·01cap Ø 30–100 mm

Hydnum repandumHedgehog

underside: spines / teethspore print:white

The specimen catalog

Read the mushroom the way a monograph does

Two of the characters that decide an ID — drawn correctly, because foragers will check.

Plate ICantharellus cibarius

Longitudinal section

cap fleshlamellaeannulusstipe · solidclavate base
Bisect a cap and the ID characters line up: cap flesh, the lamellae, the annulus, and — a real giveaway — a solid stipe on a clavate base.
Plate IIsix junctions

Gill attachment

free
adnexed
adnate
sinuate
decurrent
seceding
How the gills meet the stem is a shortcut to genus. Decurrent gills run down the stipe; adnate gills join it square — never confuse the two.

Start where your question is

Fresh from the field notebook

All guides →

Field ID · Jul 13, 2026 · 15 min

The Beginner's Guide to Foraging Your First Ten Mushrooms

Ten beginner-safe wild mushrooms to learn first, each with an ID key, its season, and the dangerous look-alikes to rule out before any of them reach a pan.

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The short list

What the pack reaches for

The three most-checked picks — see the full ranking on the best-gear page.

A note on how this is funded: some links on this page are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we may earn a commission when you buy through them — at no extra cost to you. It never changes the price you pay, or which gear earns a place here.

6 guides published

8 products vetted

From the press

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Original field-guide plates, made to order.

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The first plates are at the press.

Spore prints, cross-sections, and the gill-attachment plate land soon — browse the shop or join the field notebook to hear first.

Questions foragers ask

What actually is a spore print?

Lay a cap gill-side-down on paper, cover it, and wait a few hours: the falling spores drop a radial print of the gills. Its color — white, cream, ochre, pink, rust-brown, or black — is one of the most decisive ID characters there is, which is why every serious key asks for it first.

Is this a psychedelic-mushroom site?

No. Spore Print is about field identification, foraging seasons, and cooking wild edibles. The spore print here is a scientific ID device — a radial gill projection paired with its natural spore color — not a trip reference. You will not find cultivation-for-effect content.

Can I eat a mushroom because it matches a graphic here?

Never. Our plates teach you the characters to check — gill attachment, spore color, habitat, cross-section — but final identification is always the forager’s responsibility. Many edibles have dangerous look-alikes; when in doubt, throw it out, and cross-check with a regional guide or expert.

Who is this for?

Hikers, home cooks, gardeners, and naturalists who treat mushroom hunting as field science — the people who own a curved knife and a well-worn copy of Arora. If you like knowing why a chanterelle isn’t a jack-o’-lantern, you’re home.