By Harry Rothgerber ’69

 

Perhaps surprisingly, one of Bellarmine University’s most knowledgeable authorities in an unusual scientific field is not a professor or on the faculty; in fact, he is still working on his Chemistry degree.

 

Amos Zoeller is the lab/stockroom manager for Bellarmine’s Natural Sciences Division and can be found each day in his office in the chemistry stockroom on the Norton Health Sciences Center’s second floor. 

 

When he’s not supporting the labs and stockroom, Zoeller, an amateur mycologist, helps lead the Bluegrass Mycological Society, which promotes the study and appreciation of fungi and their roles in our region’s broader ecological systems.

 

Zoeller is unquestionably enthusiastic about mycology, a field he says he stumbled into. “I've always loved nature and hiking and learning the various organisms of all sorts that make up our environment,” he said.

 

“In the summer of 2019, I was using an app called Seek to photograph and log every species of plant I could when one hike changed everything. The path I was hiking had an absolutely mind-blowing assortment of fungi—bright orange and gold speckled Amanitas, huge red and purple boletes—and I had to photograph them and find out what they were.”

 

Zoeller said he is especially devoted to polypores, “wood-devouring fungi that usually form shelves or brackets on trees, stumps, and sticks,” and crust fungi, which look like a thin crust of material clinging tightly to wood, that “many are quick to call boring.”

 

When asked how many times he has heard a "fun-guy" joke, he said that number is approaching 50, “which matches the number of groans and eye rolls I've made in response.”

 

Since becoming involved with the Bluegrass Mycological Society three years ago, Zoeller has been a hike leader and educator. “We identify fungi, lead hikes and teach classes for everyone from Scout troops to Kentucky's state park rangers.”

 

He has also connected with Bellarmine faculty who are interested in fungi, in particular Dr. Joe Jareczek (Biology), Dr. Mary Kroetz (Biology) and Dr. Kate Bulinski (Environmental Studies). “I've been consulting him to help design a mycology course to offer here at Bellarmine, and his insights have been invaluable in that process,” Jareczek said. 

 

Bulinski said faculty hope to capitalize more on Zoeller’s expertise in the future, perhaps by organizing a mushroom identification hike or hosting a public lecture about the ecology of mushrooms. 

 

Zoeller has also recently taken up drawing illustrations of fungi. 

 

“I've dabbled in art my whole life, just sculpting, painting or drawing for fun,” he said. “Prior to giving fungi a try, I was primarily drawing characters and scenes from my favorite anime shows. The Southeast Rare Fungi Challenge folks were looking for someone who could draw promotional artworks of fungi, and it sounded fun, so I gave it a shot!” 

 

He has already produced seven of an expected 20 illustrations of rare fungi to be featured in the project, which is a regional effort to identify, document and study rarer species that may be at risk.

 

Zoeller’s passion for fungi has led to new friendships. “I met some good friends years ago as total strangers in the woods, where we geeked out about some edible American Caesar's mushrooms together,” he recounted. “It's a community full of insanely kind, wacky and ‘genuinely themselves’ people. I’m sure there are more mushroom nerds out there on campus.”

 

Zoeller suggests that anyone who wants to learn more about mycology should connect with local organizations by joining Facebook groups or emailing the Bluegrass Mycological Society to subscribe to their newsletter. He also said, “Take walks and look for fungi! It can be intimidating when you find out how diverse they are, but there are lots of people out there that are happy to help you identify them.” 

 

“I want people to know how vast and incredibly important fungi are to us and our planet in ways you wouldn't expect…how staggeringly diverse they are in how they look and behave,” he said. “And how much more I've come to value nature, life and even other people just by studying a bunch of mushrooms!”