Hello! We are The Mush Bunch…
a Husband-and-Wife duo, with a pair of children and a pup in tow. We are enthusiastic mycologists and dedicated nature lovers. We live, love and create in the beautiful mycelium-rich region of the Pacific Northwest, and we can’t get enough of the nature that surrounds us.
When we met in 2010, we bonded over our mutual love for nature, and our outdoor adventures quickly began.
We hike, camp, and explore throughout the forests of the Pacific Northwest and spend hours thumbing through books, watching documentaries, and our favorite outdoorsy shows to learn about the plants, animals, and fungi we find along the way.
About Joshua
I grew up in the Great Lakes region, raised with a healthy respect for our natural world. After moving to Seattle in the early 2000’s, I spent years working to defend and protect our forests and waterways. I later moved into working in the marine industry and helped develop one of the most eco-friendly boatyards in Seattle.
Throughout my life, I have always been drawn to nature and I find myself happiest when out in the forest. I have spent over a decade studying mycology ad botany, and I am fascinated by the vast world of information that we still have yet to discover.
We humans are ultimately animals in need of a healthy connection to our world and with the belief that separating ourselves from nature is unhealthy for us, I am eager to build a future where we are more apt to nurture nature in our everyday lives.the way.
About Thera
I was born into a world of nature studies and have always had a deep connection with the wild. Raised by a grandmother who adored flowers and gardening, a mother who loved hiking and camping, a father who was a nomad, and a stepmother who is an herbalist/ethnobotanist. Being in love with and appreciating nature is in my DNA.
My biggest inspiration came from my childhood summers spent in Arizona with my stepmother, Phyllis Hogan (owner of Winter Sun Trading Company). I loved creating herbarium specimen books from the many plant walks we went on with her students and colleagues, and that is where I first learned to identify and utilize plants for medicinal purposes. Working in her shop, I helped package and restock herbs in the apothecary and filled the tincture bottles in the cool shop basement on hot summer days.
Today, I carry a plant press with me and a tiny mushroom basket to collect and dry specimens for my artwork that I sell in our store and at atypicallyartistic.com. I am also a performing arts educator and bring my background as a teacher to The Mush Bunch to make learning about nature fun.