Macrofungi of the Southern Blue Ridge
4 Credit Hours
August 3–14, 2026
Instructors: Dr. Rachel Swenie, Harvard University
Cost: $1,000.00
This hands-on course introduces students to the collection, identification, and diversity of macrofungi—including mushrooms—of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains.
Students will develop skills in field collection, morphological and anatomical identification, and specimen preservation for continued study.
Lecture and discussion topics include:
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The biology of the mushroom lifecycle
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Ecological roles of fungi
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Fungal diversity and evolutionary relationships
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Documenting and preserving field specimens
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DNA barcoding methods
Each day includes a morning field trip followed by an afternoon lecture and laboratory session. In the lab, students will examine and identify collections using morphological analysis and dichotomous keys. Microscopes and chemical reagents will be available for accurate species determinations.
Fungal specimens will be dried and labeled for herbarium preservation, and the lab will remain open in the evenings for additional study and exploration.
Meet the Instructor
Rachel is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Farlow Herbarium at Harvard University, specializing in fungal systematics and taxonomy. Her work focuses on chanterelles and their relatives, thelephoroid fungi, and corticioid fungi.
Her research integrates herbarium studies, molecular sequencing, and phylogenetic methods to identify and describe new species, and to explore how fungal evolution is shaped by biology and ecology.
Rachel earned her Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Tennessee, where she was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her work has also been supported by funding from the Mycological Society of America, the U.S. National Park Service, and the TENN Herbarium.
In addition to her research, Rachel has led mushroom forays and educational walks across the country. She is also a co-author of a forthcoming field guide to the mushrooms of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
rswenie@fas.harvard.edu