New science museum exhibit honors Roanoke Valley mushroom expert

Skip the Mushroom Man is a mycologist who’s been featured in National Geographic

ROANOKE, Va. – There’s a new exhibit at the Science Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke honoring a local treasure.

Skip ‘the Mushroom Man’ Taliaferro is a world famous mycologist who lives in the Roanoke Valley. His work has been featured in National Geographic, among other publications.

On Friday night, the museum, in partnership with Hollins University, held a preview event for the new exhibit, entitled Fungi, the Hidden Kingdom.

Hollins students created the exhibit based on inspiration from Skip’s work. He was also honored for his support of the museum.

“I am shocked that they could put together the beauty of this thing not knowing mushrooms, I am just shocked, how fabulous they’ve done," Taliaferro said. "I’m speechless, it’s just great.”

The official unveiling of the exhibit is in a few weeks.

And for those of us living along the mountains, Skip said the Blue Ridge has some of the most diverse fungi in the entire world.