Machel Spence is passionate about mushrooms. Not to create a guide, or for cooking or any other purpose than one.

She seeks them for their beauty.

Originally from Florida she is a stay at home mom, with a little girl and a husband now, but her background includes a masters degree in zoology, and she worked for the Seattle Aquarium as a Beach Naturalist. Spence explained, "My passion for mushrooms and other fungus started in late 2008, but really became an obsession in Fall of 2009 when I was hiking in the woods of Mt. Rainier with my daughters class on a camping trip, and discovered a bolete species. It was the largest mushroom I had ever seen."

This ignited her curiosity about all things mushroom related and, "Since the day I photographed the first bolete I have documented over 300 different species in Lincoln Park, Schmitz Park and Me-Kwa-Mooks Park."

Though mushrooms do have a season, in the fall, she heads out almost every day seeking new images, sometimes taking her daughter with her. Her efforts have been posted on Flickr.com (see the link above) and she has written and self published a book called A Photographic Journey of the Forest Floor which you can purchase online.

Her online images have drawn a large audience of over 500 contacts who, like Spence, love mushrooms for their wondrous variety and primeval beauty. "I'm not a mycologist (mushroom expert)," Spence said, " I can't write a book about identifying mushrooms. I'm just really interested in their beauty. I'm not into harvesting them either. I'm not really sure about that, I don't want to die!" She urges people not to try and forage for mushrooms to eat, "unless you've had training and know exactly what you're doing."

"It thrills me that I have connected people with fungus in so many ways through my Flickr photos and that people are learning to appreciate not only the beauty of mushrooms but learning the role that they play in our environment," Spence said. She explained that some mushroom species have what is called a mycorrhizal relationship with trees and plants where there is a symbiotic association between the fungi and the roots. The fungi provides nutrients to the roots and while the plant provides sugars in return. Without fungi in our woods there would be no decomposition of dead trees, leaf litter and other organic matter."I like to think of them as the recyclers of the forest. Fungi comes in all shapes and sizes and once you get what I call the "mushroom eyes" you will start to see them everywhere," she said.

Spence shoots her photos with an Olympus e-510 digital camera using a macro (close-up) lens. "I'm not into the technical aspects of photography," she said, " but I've pretty well mastered the light. Filtered sunlight is great and sometimes when you see a mushroom you might not think the light looks very good but it looks great to me." Her photographs reveal an incredible range of color, texture, pattern and elegance that if you just took a casual walk through the park, you would likely miss completely. To take photographs like this requires not only dedication and talent but a willingness to climb around in the woods and get into the underbrush if necessary. "Mushrooms don't need light to grow," Spence pointed out,"so often you'll see them in places you might otherwise overlook."

Her fascination with the fungi has spread into her home life of course. "I have people sending me mushroom things, and yes, it's true I have mushroom knick knacks," she said laughing.