Fungi differ from plants in that, with the exception of perennial species like some brackets, it is not possible to predict when or whether their fruiting structures will appear from year to year. They are also very easy to miss since most species produce fruit bodies that decay and disappear within a few days. The potential number of species that have to be considered when examining an unknown fungus does not help with identifications. The lack of knowledge about local fungal populations needs to be addressed since many types of fungi, especially those that grow in association with trees, appear to be in decline. For example, in Germany's Black Forest once common species, such as chanterelles, are now reported to be completely absent.
Loss of habitat is also of increasing concern.
Although non-professional, many are expert field mycologists and most belong to local fungus recording groups who collect all the records together and produce distribution maps for their area. A selection of dot distribution maps from the Common Fungi Survey carried out by the North West Fungus Group are available from a site maintained by John Edmondson, Curator of Botany at Liverpool Museum. A list of the most frequently recorded fungi in our region is available as a text file from John Taylor's site. Guidance on the collection of fungi On 4 September 1998 English Nature published the first ever Wild Mushroom Pickers' Code of Conduct in the UK and it can be viewed on-line thanks to the British Mycological Society. You should read this document before collecting fungi for scientific study or for the pot.