DIETHARD BÖHME is at a loss to explain how his mycophilia started."My affection for mushrooms might have begun with my father," says Böhme, who is Chair of York's Chemistry Department. "He used to take my brothers and me on picking expeditions near Bonn, Germany."

Later, after Böhme and his siblings emigrated to Canada he brought his love of mushrooms and the outdoors with him. "My brother lives on the West Coast and I guess I got reconnected with mushroom hunting through him. Now it's a good excuse to get out and enjoy the woods."

Böhme also decided to join the Toronto Mycological Society this fall, an organization devoted to disseminating the lore and lure of mushrooms to anyone who is willing to listen.

Although Böhme has only begun mushroom collecting for food recently, he says he's collected mushroom chatzkes and art for years, from postage stamps to fancy Italian ceramic tiles. "They all feature mushrooms. I've always collected this stuff," he says.

"I work as a scientist and I'm always finding new things, reading about new discoveries, but finding and identifying new mushrooms never loses its magic."

illustration: Ryan Price