In Trout Lake, a small community in southwest Washington, the peaks of nearby volcanoes and canopies of old-growth forests draw the eyes up. But when Julie Beeler sets out into the surrounding woods, her gaze points downward. Beeler, an artist, describes her home as a “fungal paradise.” Here, mushrooms are her muse. Hundreds of species of fungi grow throughout the Pacific Northwest, feeding upon the consistent rain of the damp forests. Each fall, the prime season for the edible mushrooms that attract foragers and foodies, Beeler ventures into the woods…
