⏰ Time: 6 p.m.
📍Location: Cedar Park Public Library
📍Ages: 8 -12 (Must be accompanied by an adult)
🎟️ Tickets: Free with Registration
Have you ever heard a mushroom make noise? Join us for a fun and fascinating science adventure as we meet the rare Texas Star Mushroom (Chorioactis geaster) — a mushroom that actually hisses when it opens from it's "Devil Cigar" shape! It became our official state mushroom 5 years ago even though it is millions of years old. We’ll explore how this amazing mushroom uses water pressure, tiny spore jets, and even vortex rings (like smoke rings!) to create sound. Through colorful visuals and simple explanations, we’ll discover that the hiss isn’t magic — it’s physics in action!
Hands-on Fun!
After the presentation, stick around for a creative activity! You’ll get to:
Mold your own Texas star mushroom stages using colorful clay.
Color a special Texas star mushroom coloring sheet with markers. (Optional)
Share what you learned about how mushrooms “talk” with science!
Perfect for curious minds, budding biologists, and young engineers!
No prior science knowledge needed — just bring your curiosity and creativity!
See the Texas Star Mushroom hiss at Inks Lake!📅 Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Angel with the an Eastern North American Destroying Angel or Amanita bisporigera
About The Instructor
Angel Schatz: I grew up in Missouri with ten siblings, and the first mushroom I ever learned was fittingly the Destroying Angel. It was my introduction to how powerful and mysterious fungi can be.
Before CTMS, I worked as an experience designer and animator in the tech world but eventually, I left that world to plug into a very different kind of network: the earth’s internet, mycelium. Now I’m a forager, urban gardener, and mycology educator.
Through CTMS, I get to share my passion for the ecosystems of Central Texas and help people connect to the fungal kingdom in ways that are joyful, practical, and community-powered. Whether we’re growing mushrooms from recycled blocks or helping trees survive drought through mycorrhizal fungi—we’re building soil and solidarity.
FOLLOW Angel is the Executive Director. See my Tiny Talk