"Mushrooms and Fall Plants" Fair
During the46th edition of the Fall Mushrooms and Plants Fair, several exhibits, workshops, and tours will be offered in the fields of mycology, botany, entomology, geology, and pharmacy.
The mushrooms and plants will have been collected by members of the Hérault Society of Horticulture and History (SHHNH) and the Montpellier School of Pharmacy (Laboratory of Botany, Phytochemistry, and Mycology).
Fresh fall mushrooms:
- an exhibition featuring more than 200 fresh mushrooms;
- a workshop on the similarities between edible and poisonous—or even deadly—species in our region: the slide show “The Main Edible Mushrooms and Their Poisonous or Deadly Look-Alikes,” created by several members of the SHHNH, will be presented to the public;
- a workshop to identify specimens brought in by the public: members of the SHHNH and university faculty will identify the mushrooms collected or brought in by the public over the course of the two days;
- educational tools to help the general public and students (pharmacy, medicine, science, liberal arts, humanities, and social sciences) identify mushrooms : three sets of cards and a “Mushrooms” quiz, created by members of the SHHNH, will allow the general public and students to test their knowledge of mushroom harvesting, preservation, ecology, identification, as well as their edibility and/or toxicity.
Fall fruits and flowers:
- an exhibition of more than 200 wild plants from the region that were recently collected;
- A workshop to identify plants brought in by the public. SHHNH botanists will answer your questions about the flora of our region.
Insects:
- Entomologists will display cases showcasing the diversity of insects in the region. Insects: Champions of Biodiversity. Nearly 43,000 different species in metropolitan France.
- An interactive card game, created by a member of the SHHNH, will help you learn about this diversity.
Rocks:
- An exhibition of rocks tells the story of how the Mediterranean Sea level has fluctuated over the past 15 million years by examining changes in the coastline.
- Current studies predict that this change will occur in the near future.
Free guided tours of the Albert CIURANA Pharmacy Museum are offered on Saturday afternoons, Sunday mornings, and Sunday afternoons.
Two lectures will be held in Lecture Hall A of the Montpellier School of Pharmacy:
Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.: “Protecting Mediterranean Flora in a Changing World” by John THOMPSON ( Retired Research Director, CEFE-CNRS, Montpellier; Chair of the Scientific Council of the Mercantour National Park; Chair of the Scientific Council of the Narbonnaise en Méditerranée Regional Nature Park)
Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.: “A Legal Mushroom Hunt…” by Pierre MOUSSERON ( Professor at the Montpellier School of Law, President of the Institut des usages, Montpellier)
