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Coast to Canopy

Mushrooms and other Fungi in Florida

By Rob Diaz de Villegas
Published August 20, 2026 at 12:00 AM EDT
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We talk everything mushrooms and fungi, including:
* Foraging for mushrooms
* Mushroom ID and learning about edibility
* Fungi, soil health, and the Wood Wide Web
* Parasites and blights

Our guests are Dr. Matthew Smith, a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida, and his graduate student, Alassane Sow. We recorded this episode after a morning of foraging for mushrooms at Wakulla Springs State Park, which you can see on the video version of Coast to Canopy.

Support ecology content on WFSU Public Media, such as Coast to Canopy, the WFSU Ecology Blog, and documentaries such as Finding the First Floridians and Secrets of the Seep, and we'll thank you on Coast to Canopy: https://wfsu.secureallegiance.com/wfsu/WebModule/Donate.aspx?P=ECOBLOG&PAGETYPE=PLG&CHECK=WOAaFle%2fdfH8yqgh03%2bHzezWDeZ%2beA1M

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Season 2 Wakulla Springs State Park
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Rob Diaz de Villegas
Rob Diaz de Villegas is WFSU Public Media's Ecology Producer. After years of producing WFSU's music program, OutLoud, Rob found himself in a salt marsh with a camera. This new beginning was the National Science Foundation-funded In the Grass, On the Reef, which became the award-winning <a href="https://blog.wfsu.org/blog-coastal-health/" target="_blank" link-data="{&quot;cms.site.owner&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;0000016e-ccea-ddc2-a56e-edfe5af20000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;ae3387cc-b875-31b7-b82d-63fd8d758c20&quot;},&quot;cms.content.publishDate&quot;:1743000691921,&quot;cms.content.publishUser&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000195-cdda-dd16-a5d5-cffa0b530000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc&quot;},&quot;cms.content.updateDate&quot;:1743000691921,&quot;cms.content.updateUser&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000195-cdda-dd16-a5d5-cffa0b530000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc&quot;},&quot;cms.directory.paths&quot;:[],&quot;anchorable.showAnchor&quot;:false,&quot;link&quot;:{&quot;attributes&quot;:[],&quot;cms.directory.paths&quot;:[],&quot;linkText&quot;:&quot;WFSU Ecology Blog&quot;,&quot;target&quot;:&quot;NEW&quot;,&quot;attachSourceUrl&quot;:false,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://blog.wfsu.org/blog-coastal-health/&quot;,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;00000195-d2ef-d9f3-abfd-daff9f400001&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;ff658216-e70f-39d0-b660-bdfe57a5599a&quot;},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;00000195-d2ef-d9f3-abfd-daff9f400000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;809caec9-30e2-3666-8b71-b32ddbffc288&quot;}">WFSU Ecology Blog</a>. Rob's Ecology work includes full-length documentaries, short-form television and radio stories, and podcasts. Rob is married with two children/ reluctant outdoor adventure companions.
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