Fungi Foraging in Zambia
Cantharellus sp.
From the edible fungi of Zambia and the inspiring people of Chiundaponde to the Byron Writers Festival and Stephen's autumn discoveries in Tasmania, come along on our newest Planet Fungi adventure.
Dear fungi friends,
It's been a little while since our last newsletter, but we've been busy finishing and screening our new documentary from another remote corner of the fungal kingdom.
You can now stream Nature's Bounty – Mushroom Hunters of the Zambian Miombo free on YouTube.
In Zambia's magnificent Miombo woodlands, wild mushrooms are far more than a seasonal delicacy. They are food, income, culture and hope.
Our journey took us to the remote village of Chiundaponde, where local foragers welcomed us into their forests to share generations of knowledge about the remarkable fungi that sustain their community.
Guided by Headwoman Theresa Kabaye and other expert foragers, together with South African mycologist Professor Peter Mortimer and local community leaders, we discovered how traditional knowledge and modern science are coming together to unlock the enormous potential of wild fungi for food security, forest conservation and climate resilience.
From colourful mushrooms emerging after the rains to village markets where families earn a critical income, Nature's Bounty celebrates one of nature's most overlooked kingdoms—and the people whose future is intertwined with it.
We hope you'll enjoy this inspiring story.
Supporting Chiundaponde
One of the reasons we made this film was to shine a light on the incredible work happening in Chiundaponde.
The community is improving sustainable harvesting practices, strengthening local livelihoods, and expanding access to markets for their wild mushrooms.
If you think you may be able to help—through expertise, partnerships or market opportunities—we would love to hear from you. We are happy to put you in direct contact with the community leaders and scientists involved. Contact us here.
Below is a sample of the mushrooms we documented. L-R TOP: Amanita loosei, Unidentified, Russula sp., Amanita tanzanica. L-R BOTTOM: Schizophyllum commune, Ganoderma sp., Marasmius bekolacongoli, Lentinus sp.
Join Us at the Byron Writers Festival
We're thrilled to have been invited to present Planet Fungi at the Byron Writers Festival.
From the forests of Patagonia to the peaks of the Himalayas, our session explores the remarkable world revealed in our coffee table book, Planet Fungi: A Photographer's Foray.
It all began with a chance encounter in the forest—a brilliant purple mushroom that stopped Stephen in his tracks. From that moment on, our lives took an unexpected turn. Together, we've travelled to some of the world's most remote landscapes, documenting the extraordinary beauty, diversity and science of fungi.
Fungi are nature's master connectors—shaping ecosystems, driving transformation and appearing in the most surprising places. Through photography, filmmaking and stories from our expeditions, we invite you into their strange, spectacular world and explore why this hidden kingdom matters more than ever.
Planet Fungi, Sunday 16 August, Byron Theatre
If you're heading to Byron Bay, we'd love to see you there.
Our sincere thanks to the Byron Writers Festival for including fungi in this year's wonderful program. We encourage you to explore the many inspiring, thought-provoking and entertaining sessions on offer throughout the festival.
North America release
Planet Fungi: A Photographer’s Foray
8 September 2026. Preorder here.
Tasmania Autumn Pilgrimage
In late April, we headed south to Tasmania and Victoria for our favourite annual ritual—forest bathing in old-growth forests and searching for Australia's spectacular autumn fungi.
We thought we'd begin sharing some of the highlights with the mushroom that started it all.
Cortinarius archeri was the species that first ignited Stephen's lifelong fascination with fungi. Decades later, that same sense of wonder takes us into the forest after the rain, searching for familiar friends and exciting new discoveries.
The specimens in the gallery above were photographed on the West Coast of Tasmania and in the Otways, Victoria. The fourth image is the photo Stephen took in 2002 with a Canon 2 megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera.
We'll be sharing more photographs from this pilgrimage here and on Instagram over the coming months.
Stephen's Photography Tips for the
Great Aussie Fungi Hunt
The Great Aussie Fungi Hunt is in full swing, with more than 23,000 observations and over 1,000 species already recorded across Australia—and there's still plenty of time to add your discoveries.
Every observation helps build our understanding of Australia's extraordinary fungal diversity, but one of the most common reasons fungi can't be identified is simply because the photographs aren't quite in focus—or they don't show the features needed for identification.
Stephen has collaborated with Fungimap to put together some of his favourite photography tips to help you capture images that give our volunteer identifiers the best possible chance of putting a name to your find.
Together with Finlay and Marnie, we've also created a short video showing how to find, photograph, describe and upload your observations to iNaturalist—perfect if you're just getting started or want to improve your records.
When you find a fungus, take an extra few minutes to make sure your photographs are in focus and to capture:
📷 The top of the cap (pileus)
📷 A side view
📷 A low-angle photograph showing how the gills (lamellae) attach to the stem (stipe)
📷 The fungus in its location
These simple angles can make all the difference between an observation that remains unidentified and one that becomes valuable scientific data.
Keep those photos coming—and remember, multiple angles and sharp focus make a huge difference.
Every observation helps us better understand and protect Australia's incredible fungal diversity.
Russula sp.
Explore More with Planet Fungi
There are now plenty of ways to join us on our fungal adventures.
🍄 Host a community screening of our award-winning documentary Follow the Rain.
🍄 Watch our award-winning documentary Follow the Rain, currently streaming in Australia and New Zealand - NETFLIX, Germany - RTL, Thailand - TRUEVISIONS
📖 Discover our book, Planet Fungi: A Photographer's Foray.
🎬 Enjoy more free fungi documentaries on the Planet Fungi YouTube channel.
📷 Follow our latest photography, films and adventures on Instagram and Facebook.
Cortinarius metallicus
Thank you, as always, for your encouragement and support.
Every view, share, comment and conversation helps us continue documenting the hidden kingdom of fungi and sharing its stories with the world.
Until next time,
Catherine Marciniak & Stephen Axford
Planet Fungi
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 we partner with that work tirelessly in these areas.
AUSTRALIA
Big Scrub Conservancy Foundation
INTERNATIONAL
Every little bit helps.
Lamprospora tuberculata