Nobody knows precisely how many species of fungi exist as many are yet to be discovered and named. However, there are likely some 140,000 fungi species in Western Australia alone with many examples growing locally. They range from the beautiful to the bizarre and their distictly unusual forms and colour make them ideal photography subjects.
The Manjimup Photo Club has been staging an annual photography competition, featuring examples of the many and varied species of fungi growing in the South West Region and other parts of Australia, since 2018. The resulting Fantastic Fungi exhibition featuring the 35 best photographs in an Open class and a Youth class is eagerly anticipated each year and 2024 is no exception. The Manjimup Photo Club has reviewed hundreds of photographs to ensure another high quality exhibition.
Despite the ongoing popularity of the Fungi competition, the Manjimup Photo Club is planning a variation in theme in 2025. The Fabulous Flora competition and subsequent exhibition will focus on other natural wonders of our forested areas - native trees, bushes and wildflowers found in abundance below the forest canopy. Springtime offers an ideal opportunity for photographers to snap entrants for Fabulous Flora as winter rains in the area will ensure the bush is teeming with a wide variety of native plants.
In the meantime, the 2024 Fantastic Fungi exhibition will be on display at the Manjimup Art Gallery from 17 August until 14 September 2024.
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