Interview: Ruben Mita talks about A Naturalist’s Guide to Fungi of Aotearoa New Zealand

Ruben Mita is an ecologist and writer living in Pōneke Wellington. Growing up in the Waitakere Ranges of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, he discovered a love of fungi from an early age. He holds degrees in Ecology and Biodiversity, Ecological Restoration, English and Music from Te Herenga Waka University of Wellington, and is also a published poet. Ruben talks to NZ Booklovers

Tell us a little about the A Naturalist’s Guide to Fungi of Aotearoa New Zealand.

It is a field guide to a selection of 267 species of fungi in Aotearoa New Zealand at species or genus level. The focus is on identification techniques, with accompanying photos, information on edibility, and an introduction about fungi in this country. 

What inspired you to write this book?

I was approached by John Beaufoy, the UK-based publisher of the Naturalist’s Guide series which creates similar books from around the world. He asked me to write the Aotearoa Fungi installment and I thought it would be a fun opportunity!

How did you go about researching the book and taking the photographs?

Research encompassed a wide range of sources, but sorting through my thousands of photographs ended up being an even bigger task. The majority I had already taken on past fungi hunts, though some I did end up improving with new shots of things I incidentally came across over the course of writing the book. For species I hadn’t seen or hadn’t managed to get a good photo of, I reached out to several great photographers in the country, finding them through their relevant photos on the citizen science site iNaturalist. 

What was your routine or process when writing this book?

The big push to finish came at the start of Autumn 2024, which felt like perfect timing. Though it kept me from fully engaging in mushroom season as I usually do, I did take time out of writing most days to walk the dog up Te Ahumairangi in Wellington. Heaps of porcini and other fungi were out under the pines and it was great to be reminded of the reality of what I was writing about, to take it out of the abstract. 

If a soundtrack were made to accompany this book, name a song or two you would include. 

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Rare Things Grow

David Bowie - Moss Garden

Herbie Hancock - Little One

Kevin Burke - King of the Fairies

What did you enjoy the most about writing this guide?

Both the best and the worst thing about writing it was spending so much mental time in the world of fungi. It was great to have that complete immersion in thinking about other life forms, but was also eventually maddening. 

What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?

Doing absolutely anything except writing! Seeing people, leaving the house, etc. 

What is the favourite book you have read so far this year and why?

Elizabeth Bishop - The Complete Poems 1927 - 1979. Vivid poetry with a strong connection to place and geography which appeals to me. Second places would be The Mabinogion, the collection of medieval Welsh stories translated by Sioned Davies, and Ted Hughes’ Crow poems. 

What’s next on the agenda for you?

I’m moving to the U.K. in a couple of months, probably for around a year. I’m hugely excited to have a whole new set of fungal species and broader natural world to encounter that I’m largely unfamiliar with.

John Beaufoy Publishing