The Mysterious Diversity of Mushrooms

The Thuringia Chapter of the German Forest Protection Association (SDW) and the Jena City Forestry Office (KSJ) jointly invite you to the “Waldgeflüster” after-work lecture series. This coming Thursday, September 24, 2026, another lecture evening will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the forum natura Nature Discovery Center (Otto-Schott-Platz 1, Jena).

This lecture offers fascinating insights into the remarkable diversity of native mushrooms. It highlights their astonishing survival strategies and explains why mushrooms are essential to the functioning of our forests. It will also cover how to safely distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms and how environmental changes affect their occurrence. The speaker will be Dr. Julia Massier.

In addition, on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Jena Mushroom Exhibition will take place at forum natura as a complement to the lecture. At this event, enthusiastic mushroom experts and amateur mycologists will display fresh mushrooms and will be happy to answer questions. There will also be an opportunity to receive expert advice on mushrooms, so you are welcome to bring a moderate number of mushrooms you have collected yourself. However, mushroom picking in nature reserves—including the Jena Forest—is not permitted.

Interested parties are cordially invited. For the lecture on September 24, please register in advance by emailingwaldgefluester@sdw-thueringen.de. Admission to both events is free.

For more information about the lectures and the exhibition, visit www.natura-jenensis.de/veranstaltungen/vortragsreihe