You've seen them growing in funky shapes and sizes outside and you may have even tasted them, but how much do you actually know about mushrooms?
It turns out, not even scientists have fully unlocked the secrets of these these fascinating fungi.
"For a long time, scientists thought that fungi were just plants that weren't especially good at being plants," said Kate Golembiewski with the Illinois Mycological Association. "In more recent years, we've learned fungi aren't plants at all. They're their own separate thing that's more closely related to animals, and we know not a ton about them."
Golembiewski said that's where the Illinois Mycological Association comes in. The club, made up of mushroom-lovers of all ages and various levels of expertise, is hosting its annual show of fungi collected right here in Chicagoland at the Chicago Botanic Garden Sunday.
"We're going to have just a giant show-and-tell of all the mushrooms that we've collected in the last couple of days," she said. "It's an opportunity for anyone ... to see this whole world of mushrooms that's all around us."
Though many may not know it, Golembiewski said you can find all types of fungi in and around Chicago. You just have to look closely.
"They're around everywhere," she said. "But to see some really cool stuff, the city has a pretty great system of forest preserves ... and so when we go out and do our fungal surveys as a club, we're often within the city limits."
At the show Sunday, visitors can check out these findings as well as meet the Illinois State Mushroom (the giant puffball), chat with scientists and shop a sale of fungal art, books, jewelry and clothes.
Golembiewski said one of the goals of the show is to dispel some of the misconceptions people may have about mushrooms and other fungi.
"They're playing this really important role in our ecosystem, in our environment," she said. "Letting people know that, one, mushrooms really aren't something to be afraid of, and two, that mushrooms are something that can be a really cool gateway into this world of science, I think is really, really important."
She said the show also reaffirms the club's support for conservation efforts to preserve and promote fungal diversity and communities.
"We're living in a world where climate change and habitat destruction are serious problems, where science is often not believed in or supported," Golembiewski said. "Finding ways to connect people to the world of science and to nature, I think, is really important for society at large, and it's really good for us as individuals, too, to build these connections to nature."
The show takes place Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Botanic Garden. It is included with general admission to the Botanic Garden.