Cyclonic Fungi 🌩️🍄🟫🌀
It took 600mm of rain from Cyclone Alfred for these yellow-green mushrooms to make a splash
Pull on your gumboots—this Planet Fungi newsletter flushes out mushrooms that love a storm. We’ve got tips for photographing glow-in-the-dark fungi, a way your kids can become fungi detectives at school, and how you can get involved in fungi hunting and share your discoveries on iNaturalist. But first…
Meet our top fan
Landos has watched Follow the Rain on Netflix over 900 times (yes, you read that right). His mum says it’s his absolute favourite show on TV.
When she sent us a photo of him greeting some concrete mushrooms with Stephen Axford’s classic line, “Wow, what have we got here?”—well, our hearts melted. Feeling very grateful right now. 🥹🍄
Do you have a fan story you'd like us to share? 🍄🟫
If you are in Australia and New Zealand, be sure to watch Follow the Rain on Netflix, like it on their platform, and please recommend it to your network.
If you are one of our international followers and part of a group that would like to host a screening don't hesitate to get in touch with Planet Fungi https://www.planetfungi.movie/contact
Scroll down to discover how children can explore the world of fungi in the classroom.
Cyathus novaezelandiae - Bird’s Nest fungi
The Calm After the Storm is Full of Fungi
After Cyclone Alfred swept through our region with soaking rains and frightening winds, the forest floor transformed into a wonderland of fungi. For Stephen Axford, it was the perfect time to get muddy. The storm flushed out some of the forest’s most rarely seen and fleeting fungal species—tiny parasols, feathery cups and slippery jellies.
Among the treasures he captured were glistening bird’s nest fungi cradling their spore-filled “eggs,” dainty mushrooms with bright caps balancing raindrops, and ethereal, translucent fungi that look like spun glass. A furry pink Crepidotus fan, became the perfect stage for a curious spider. The bright green/yellow mushroom that is our cover pic seemed to glow from within. Every frame tells the story of how, when the rain eases, the real show begins.
L-R Top right row - Campanella sp., Marasmius sp., Cookeina insititia, Coprinellus disseminatus, L-R Bottom row- Crepidotis sp. with spider, Pleuroflammula sp. (possible P. praestans), Marasmius sp. and Tremella fuciformis
Join the Great Aussie Fungi Hunt 2025 NOW - 1st to 30th April
Step into the weird and wonderful world of fungi this April with the Great Aussie Fungi Hunt.
Whether you’re in the bush, in the backyard, or just out walking the dog, you can help map Australia's fungal diversity by snapping photos of fungi and uploading them to iNaturalist. Every observation contributes valuable data to science, and you don’t need to be an expert to take part.
Great prizes are up for grabs, including for the most exciting find and the most research-grade observations (with youth and adult categories).
Fungimap has made it super easy to join, with a short video, fungi ID guides, and photography tips on their website to get you started.
So grab your phone or camera and hit the trails this April.
Whether you're a seasoned fungi spotter or a curious first-timer, this is your chance to connect with nature, support citizen science, and maybe even discover a species new to science. Find out more and get involved at https://fungimap.org.au/the-great-aussie-fungi-hunt-2025/
If you are one of our international followers, the tips in the video and guides can help you document and upload fungi all year round.
Proudly supported by Planet Fungi
Mycena chlorophos - Green Pepe
Chasing Light in the Dark: Photographing Glowing Fungi
Photography tips with Stephen Axford
This April might be a boom time for luminous fungi.
In the northeast where we live, the deluge of Cyclone Alfred, warm temperatures, and continuing rain mean we’re seeing Mycena chlorophos still glowing late into its season.
At the same time, as temperatures drop here and further south, April rains are triggering ghost fungi—Omphalotus sp.—to send forth their mushrooms. So it's the perfect time for me to share some tips on capturing the otherworldly glow of luminous mushrooms.
Be prepared for the dark
These fungi only reveal their glow when it is dark.
I scout for the fungi during daylight so I know where they are and remove any hazards from the area, allowing me to access the location easily in the dark.
When photographing an Omphalotus sp. near Dorrigo last week, it was a pitch-black night, with a constant drizzle of rain. We would never have found our way on a 5-minute nighttime walk into the forest without the rope line Catherine had set up in the afternoon.
By day, Mycena chlorophos is a small, white, gelatinous, non-particularly showy mushroom with a cap ranging from approximately 1 cm to 3 cm in diameter.
By night, it is a very bright green, so you only need to turn off your torch and it will reveal itself.
Omphalotus sp. are an oyster fungus and can be white and brown or white and grey during the day, then glow a pale green at night. Where we live, the caps can be anywhere from 2 cm to 10 cm in diameter. However, further south, we have seen mushrooms of this genus up to 30 cm in diameter.
Long exposures are essential
The glow from Mycena chlorophos is very bright, much greater than Omphalotus sp., but to capture both in high resolution, long exposures and using a tripod are a must.
For Mycena chlorophos, I usually start with a 30-second shutter speed at F16 on my Sony 90 mm macro lens at high ISO 1000 – 1600.
A full-frame sensor, like those in Sony Alpha series cameras, which is what I use, are also superb at handling high ISO. This is important as shooting at high ISO, noise becomes your biggest challenge.
With Omphalotus sp., I generally use an ISO of 3200 and sometimes a longer exposure than 30 seconds, using a timer device, so I can select the aperture I want to achieve the desired depth of field. It’s a juggle between ISO, shutter speed and aperture, trying not to degrade the image with noise or diffraction effects.
The glow of Omphalotus sp. is often strongest in the gills, so get down low and shoot from underneath if you can.
Patience (and persistence) pays off
Don’t expect a quick result. I’ve spent entire nights with just one mushroom, trying different angles and exposures. I’ll focus-bracket multiple shots to increase depth of field. I often light paint the surroundings with a tiny bit of torchlight so you can see what it is growing on.
In Dorrigo last week, Catherine shone a torch on a Omphalotus mushroom for one shot, then took one in complete darkness with just the green glow, and then painted in a tiny bit of detail so you get a sense of its environment.
And remember, glowing fungi are ephemeral. Mycena chlorophos may only last a day or two once it begins to glow.
If you find them, you’re in rare company. Take your time. Let the fungi show you their magic.
Bringing the Magic of Fungi into the Classroom
We’re thrilled to share Follow the Rain—our award-winning fungi documentary—along with an exciting new Study Guide for Schools, is now available for teachers and parents who want to bring the wonder of nature into young minds.
Designed for Years 3–8 and matched to the Australian curriculum, our teacher pack connects science, the arts and media studies with hands-on learning. Kids can explore how fungi are classified, how they interact with plants and animals, and how photography and film can be powerful tools for science.
Whether you're a teacher looking for rich classroom content, or a parent or grandparent eager to get your local school to use this truly unique educational resource, Follow the Rain is the perfect way to inspire a lifelong fascination with the natural world.
Follow the Rain is a visually stunning, deeply engaging journey into the hidden world of fungi, captured over ten years of exploration in Australia’s wildest places. Through breathtaking time-lapse imagery and astonishing fungal stories, students will discover how fungi underpin life on Earth and unlock some of nature’s greatest secrets.
To order the study guide and film, visit www.atomvic.org/education-shop or contact ATOM at (03) 9525 5302 or via email at education@atom.org.au.
Mobong Picnic Area, Dorrigo with Urnula campylospora
Help Us Bring Follow the Rain to the World
We’re on a mission to share Follow the Rain with the world—and we need your help.
Licensing a one-off documentary like ours is tough, as many networks prefer series. But a little support can go a long way. Some amazing fans are already asking their favourite streamers and broadcasters, “When will you screen Follow the Rain—Planet Fungi’s new documentary?” This simple question shows there's a global audience ready and waiting.
If you're in Australia or New Zealand, you can help by watching Follow the Rain on Netflix and spreading the word.
Every view counts.
🌧️🍄✨Link to the official trailer 📽️🍄🎬
Your support means everything. If we don’t land a deal in your country by mid-2025, we’ll explore on-demand options—no one will miss out.
Let’s show the world the magic of fungi. Share your excitement with your networks today.
Coprinellus disseminatus or Trooping Crumble Cap - another fungal gift after the deluge
Until then, stay curious, stay connected, and happy mushroom hunting! 🌿🍄
SUPPORT FUNGAL RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION
If you would like to support more research into, and conservation of, this fascinating, important, but understudied area of science, there are three organisations that we partner with, who work tirelessly in these areas.
AUSTRALIA - Big Scrub Conservancy Foundation
INTERNATIONAL - Fungi Foundation
Every little bit helps.
Mycena chlorophos - a magical mushroom to document for the Great Aussie Fungi Hunt.