2026 Fair Speakers We had a great lineup of distinguished and up-and-coming speakers for 2026. To browse talks by day and time, see the 2026 Speaker Schedule . Alan Rockefeller Researcher and Photographer Alan is a researcher, educator, consultant and speaker specializing in DNA bar-coding, field photography, and fungal microscopy. With a bilingu… Andrew Ratz Field and Lab Technician | University of Minnesota I am fascinated by biogeography and the dynamic ways life shapes its environment; as well as how these environmental conditions,… Chad Hyatt Chef and Author Chef Chad Hyatt, the author of " The Mushroom Hunter's Kitchen ", is an expert forager and classically trained chef who ha… Christian Schwarz Research Associate | UCSC Christian Schwarz is a naturalist based in California, the land of milk (caps) and honey (mushrooms). He teaches Natural History… Dr. Bill Schoenbart Practitioner of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture Dr. Bill Schoenbart is a practitioner of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture with over 30 years of experience. He has… Henry Young FFSC Science Advisor Foray and ID Specialist | Willamette Valley Mushroom Society Henry moved to Salem, Oregon in 2016 from Santa Cruz. He is active with the Willamette Valley Mushroom Society teaching… Jason Raiti Botany-Mycology Graduate Student Pringle Lab | University of Wisconsin–Madison I’m Jason Raiti—a mycologist, educator, and creative technologist. I’m currently pursuing a graduate degree in Botany at the University of… Jeff Emery Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Jeff Emery is the proprietor, winemaker, truck driver, barrel washer, paper pusher and just about everything else for Santa Cruz… Stephanie S. Jarvis, MSc Director of Mycology R & D | M2 Ingredients Founder | Pacific Truffle Growers Stephanie Jarvis is an interdisciplinary mycologist and executive cultivator with over 20 years of leadership in solid-state fermentation, fungal biotechnology,…

Jason Raiti Botany-Mycology Graduate Student Pringle Lab | University of Wisconsin–Madison I’m Jason Raiti—a mycologist, educator, and creative technologist. I’m currently pursuing a graduate degree in Botany at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where I study the evolutionary morphology of Amanita spores in the Pringle Lab. My research integrates ecology, phylogenetics, and computational analysis, with a strong focus on science communication and fungal conservation. I also serve as a board member for the Wisconsin Mycological Society, where I run our speaker series. Prior to joining UW–Madison, I served as a board member of the Central Texas Mycological Society, where I led hands-on workshops in low-tech mushroom cultivation and wild-to-agar cloning. My work has included cultivating bioluminescent fungi in Brazil, co-authoring a paper on robotic water sampling for IROS, and contributing to NASA-affiliated robotics projects, including an autonomous lunar rover and a space-trash cleaning robot! I am also passionate about teaching, interdisciplinary collaboration, and finding unexpected intersections between science, technology, and creativity. From developing conservation-themed mobile games to generating mushroom-inspired AI art and poetry, I aim to foster curiosity and accessible engagement with the natural world. Outside of academia, I enjoy doing anything outdoors- hiking, foraging, surfing, climbing, running etc. I also love to play guitar and make any kind of art or poetry. I believe that creativity and science are deeply intertwined, and I strive to bring a sense of wonder and playfulness to everything I do. Botany-Mycology Graduate Student Pringle Lab | University of Wisconsin–Madison 2026 Jason Raiti 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets Fungi in Art Through Space and Time A continent-by-continent exploration of the role the fungi have played in art from 10,000 years ago with petroglyphs, to medieval southeast Asian poetry, to… Show More Saturday, January 10, 2026 8:40 PM - 9:40 PM Room 3 The Mystery of Amanita phalloides A deep dive into the literature in an accessible form, to tell the story of the invasive fungus Amanita phalloides. This is not your… Show More Sunday, January 11, 2026 8:40 PM - 9:40 PM Room 3

Candy Cap with Newt. Photo by Linda Maxwell Candy Cap with Newt Linda Maxwell Thanks for sharing this photo, Linda. We also loved your Newt-Free Candy Cap cookies at the January General Meeting! Camera Canon PowerShot SX260 HS Focal L. 5mm Aperture f/3.5 Shutter Sp. 1/300s ISO 640 Flash Off Photo taken on December 17, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Fomes fomentarius, the “Tinder Fungus” Most of us enjoy the process of walking through moist forests in search of fungi for the table. For some of us, it is the hope of finding a rare or unusual species that draws us to the woods. But in a time before matches and Bic lighters, a hike in the woods yielded fungi that held the promise of a fire . ... Fomes fomentarius amadou tinder. Photo by S Labiste F fomentarius (2014). Photo by Walt Sturgeon A while back, four small specimens of Fomes fomentarius were gifted to me by a friend returning from the FFSC Alaska foray. I was delighted, but not for the usual reasons. Most of us enjoy the process of walking through moist forests in search of fungi for the table. For some of us, it is the hope of finding a rare or unusual species that draws us to the woods. But in a time before matches and Bic lighters, a hike in the woods yielded fungi that held the promise of a fire. In Europe, back in the day when flint and steel started your fire, “German tinder” was sold. It was an industry of sorts involving the collection of Fomes fomentarius , a birch-loving conk. From this fungus, a light brown felt was produced with the feel and look of soft buckskin. This fungal felt is commonly known as “amadou”. This processed polypore felt had many uses. It could be fashioned into clothing like hats and vests when leather was scarce. But for German tinder, it was saturated with salt peter (potassium nitrate). This is the same stuff that gives gunpowder much of its explosive force. The folks who made the tinder didn’t necessarily know the chemistry, but they sure knew how to make tinder “quick”, quick to catch fire that is. The source for this salt came from soiled straw from stables heaps. Piled in rows, the urea in this stable waste underwent bacterial decomposition to form first calcium nitrite, then eventually calcium nitrate. Water was poured through the heap, collected, then filtered through white wood ash (containing potassium carbonate). The calcium nitrate salt converts to potassium nitrate as it reacts with the potassium carbonate. This nitrate rich solution was then decanted, sopped up with the amadou, then dried. Natural sources of potassium nitrate crystals can sometimes be collected directly from bat cave walls and old stables. ( A note of caution here . If you try this at home, and you get a little too much saltpeter in your amadou, be prepared for an explosion rather than “quick” tinder. Burn injury is a real risk.) Fomes fomentarius amadou tinder. Photo by S Labiste But Germany’s tinder manufacturers were not the first to discover the relationship between Fomes fomentarius and fire. Long before nitrate-enhanced amadou was in use, before Europe even had cities, this fungus was in use as a tinder. In 1991 a late Neolithic man melted out of a glacier in the Ötztal region of the Italian Alps. Ötzi, as he came to be named, carried tinder fungus ( Fomes fomentarius ). He may also have carried it for its medicinal qualities, but his knife shows traces of marcasite, so he apparently used the knife as a striker in his pyrite/flint fire kit. The last time he used the kit was 5,400 years ago. Most likely he needed the Fomes fomentarius he carried to kindle a fire in that alpine winter environment. Even without creating a fungal felt, the trauma layer of this conk can be scraped into a fluffy mass then ignited with a small spark. The term “amadou” can mean either the felt or the fluff from this fungus. To appreciate amadou one has to realize how difficult it can be to obtain really good tinder material in the wild. I’m talking about tinder that will catch a spark from flint and steel or flint and pyrite/marcasite without first being charred. Most flint and steel enthusiasts use charred punk wood, charred cotton cloth, or charred plant pith. Unless you carry some form of charcloth in the field with you, you have to first make a fire to make the charcloth. If you are relying on flint and steel or flint and pyrite for that fire, you are in a bit of a fix without charcloth. So it’s useful to know about tinders that work without charring. Mors Kochansky, survival guru of the boreal forest, teaches the processing and use of this tinder material. Amadou isn’t the only good tinder, but it sure is an appealing one. You will see Fomes fomentarius referred to as both "tinder fungus" and "false tinder fungus". It is also known as "horse hoof" fungus, "tinder polypore", "tinder conk" and "touchwood fungus" among others. Even more confusing, the term “false tinder fungus” is applied to both Fomes fomentarius and to a similar birch-loving conk, Phellinus igniarius . Common names can be confusing since they vary depending on the region. The terms tinder fungus and true tinder fungus are also used to describe an entirely different fungus, Inonotus obliquus (chaga). Chaga is an incredible tinder which can be used without processing, or it can be powdered, but it does not produce a felt. Like Fomes fomentarius , it is found on birch (though not exclusively birch) and is rare in our area. Amadou felt had other uses. It has an amazing ability to absorb moisture. Dentists once used it to dry teeth before a blast of air came into vogue. Podiatrists used it to pack the sides of toenails prone to inflammation. It has been used to staunch bleeding and to serve as a wound dressing. To this day fly fishermen use it to dry fishing flies and it can be purchased on line. It has medicinal qualities, was used as a razor strop, and it is even used to make “smoking hats”… wait, a flammable hat for smoking? What were those Germans and Hungarians thinking? https://medium.com/@istvan.daraban/the-worlds-last-amadou-makers-korond-iii-9694114ffa4a Then too, the tube layer has its use in relation to fire. A small section of the tubes, set to rest in a pool of fat or oil becomes a wick for a candle. It draws the liquid to the flame and remains unconsumed until the oil is completely burned. It, and the tubes of other polypores, appear to have been used as wicks in the fat lamps of Cro-Magnon man. No wonder it flaunts its relationship to fire in its name. The Latin word fōmĕs means touchwood or tinder. Mushrooms covered: Fomes fomentarius (tinder fungus, hoof fungus) Previous Description All Featured Fungi Next Description

So Long Without Rain. (YWI 16th Annual). Photo by Hugh Smith So Long Without Rain... Hugh Smith So long without rain Mushrooms poking their heads up Soon become crispy! 2014 had been the driest year on record for Santa Cruz, having received only 1.3 inches so far that season of our average 11 inches to date... Camera (Not provided) Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on January 5, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Alone by the Log... Albion II (2013). Photo by Hugh Smith Alone by the Log Hugh Smith Read up about Hygrocybe sp . in our Featured Fungi pages: Hygrocybe laetissima (Waxy Caps) Hygrocybe singeri, Western Witch's Hat Camera Canon EOS Rebel T3i Focal L. 18mm Aperture f/22.0 Shutter Sp. 8s ISO 100 Flash Off Photo taken on January 26, 2013 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Christian Schwarz Research Associate | UCSC Christian Schwarz is a naturalist based in California, the land of milk (caps) and honey (mushrooms). He teaches Natural History of Fungi at UC Santa Cruz and is co-author of " Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast ”" and " Mushrooms of Cascadia ". Fungi satisfy his curiosity with their seemingly endless forms; from the grotesque to the bizarre to the sublime. Besides dabbling in mushroom taxonomy, he loves fish, plants, nudibranchs, moths, and dragonflies. He is passionate about community science, especially through the use of iNaturalist. He is a Research Associate at the Norris Center for Natural History at UCSC as well as the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden. 2026 Christian Schwarz 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets The Underground Internet, 30 Years Later By now, almost everyone's heard of "Wood Wide Webs" — invisible forest networks through which trees, fungi, and other organisms communicate and exchange resources.… Show More Saturday, January 10, 2026 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Room 3 Sea Islands, Sky Islands, and Dry Islands: the Biogeography of Macrofungi Making maps of the distributions of organisms is one of the most fascinating topics in all of natural history. The theory of island biogeography… Show More Sunday, January 11, 2026 7:05 PM - 8:05 PM Room 3 Fungi of New Zealand The Ecology of a Young Land Aotearoa — the land more commonly known as New Zealand is young in many ways: In recent geologic history, it nearly drowned after splitting… Show More Saturday, January 11, 2025 7:15 PM - 8:15 PM Room 3 Two Years of the California Fungal Diversity Study What Have We Learned Over the past two years, the CA FUNDIS organization has undertaken a remarkable effort to get to know the mushrooms of California more deeply.… Show More Monday, January 13, 2025 12:30 AM - 1:30 AM Room 3

2025 Fair Speakers Visitors at the 2025 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair were treated to fascinating talks by these speakers. Alan Rockefeller Researcher and Photographer Alan is a researcher, educator, consultant and speaker specializing in DNA bar-coding, field photography, and fungal microscopy. With a bilingu… Chad Hyatt Chef and Author Chef Chad Hyatt, the author of " The Mushroom Hunter's Kitchen ", is an expert forager and classically trained chef who ha… Chef Bob Wynn "Growing up on a farm in upstate New York, my job of making mashed potatoes for Sunday dinner began my… Christian Schwarz Research Associate | UCSC Christian Schwarz is a naturalist based in California, the land of milk (caps) and honey (mushrooms). He teaches Natural History… Douglas Smith Douglas Smith has been involved in mycology for many years, looking for and photographing mushrooms on several continents. His photograph… Dr. Bill Schoenbart Practitioner of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture Dr. Bill Schoenbart is a practitioner of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture with over 30 years of experience. He has… Dr. Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., L.Ac Faculty, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Dr. Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., L.Ac. is a fourth generation, internationally known herbalist and mycologist, licensed acupuncturist, herbal clinician, research scientist,… Henry Young FFSC Science Advisor Foray and ID Specialist | Willamette Valley Mushroom Society Henry moved to Salem, Oregon in 2016 from Santa Cruz. He is active with the Willamette Valley Mushroom Society teaching… Jeff Emery Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Jeff Emery is the proprietor, winemaker, truck driver, barrel washer, paper pusher and just about everything else for Santa Cruz… Kyle Garrone Kyle Garrone holds a degree in Plant Biology from the University of California, Davis with a focus on plant pathology… Noah Siegel Noah is one of North America’s foremost field mycologists; he has spent over three decades seeking, photographing, identifying, and furthering… Phil Carpenter FFSC Science Advisor Dr. Phil Carpenter has been a member of the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz (CA) (FFSC) since the club was… Shannon Adams Shannon is a passionate amateur mycologist and user experience researcher who lives in Seattle. Her interest in fungi started over… Thea Chesney Thea Chesney is a lifelong Sierra Nevada foothill resident and naturalist. She has had an interest in mushrooms (and plants,… Vellany Pierce Vellany Pierce is the Prime Minister of the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz. She grew up in Santa Cruz County…

Have a better photo? Photo by Fungibartl If you have a better photo, why don't you submit it? If you have a great mushroom photo, how about sharing it with FFSC visitors and members? Visit Showcase a Photo for more info. Camera Apple iPhone 12 mini Focal L. 4mm Aperture f/1.6 Shutter Sp. 1/10s ISO 125 Flash Off Photo taken on December 4, 2022 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Learn About Mushrooms The Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz is all about educating its members and the general public about the dangers and delights of collecting, studying, consuming , and creating art with wild mushrooms. We understand that people learn in different ways. We aim to offer something for everyone! Winter Chanterelles Bunch. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Join Our Indoor and Outdoor Activities We get together from September through May to learn and share knowledge about mushrooms, while having fun! Monthly talks from mycologists and enthusiasts that inspire and educate. Peruse mushrooms that people bring in, and enjoy refreshments. FREE and open to the public. Monthly Speakers From tailgate tastings and potlucks to chef dinners, our foodie fun events are scattered throughout the year. Potlucks & Chef Dinners Join local forays in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay areas. Learn while exploring our local woods and fields with like-minded people. Local Forays Long-distance forays are overnight (or longer) trips farther afield. They carry the allure of new fungal finds, amazing culinary pleasures, and collaborative education adventure. Long-Distance Forays Gain more knowledge and hands-on experience with mushroom ID and mycology. (Some classes are for FFSC members only.) ID Classes & Workshops Explore hundreds of wild species, both deadly and delicious. Create mushroom crafts--fun for all ages! Visit vendors and sample delicious mushroomy treats. Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Join our club for only $25 per household! Why Join FFSC? Online Resources The safest way to learn about mushrooms is to hunt and identify mushrooms with knowledgable people in person. In addition, here are some field guildes, recipes, and other resources that can help you build your knowlede. Stay safe, and have fun learning! Featured Fungi Get background intel on mushrooms you may encounter in your wanderings. Myco Art Mushroom photography, and making art with or inspired by mushrooms. Field Reports Foray stories and species we found. (Available to FFSC members only.) Mushroom Recipes Recipes with mushrooms, and complementary dishes. Try them at home or for an FFSC potluck! Culinary Techniques Bring out the flavors of your edible finds by cleaning and storing them properly Online Learning Advice and self-challenges to build your skills. Scholarships Scholarship opportunities for students, non-profits, and FFSC members studying fungi. What We're Reading Browse our selection of books and articles on mycology.

Spooky Grisette (Amanita constricta). Photo by Adam Ryszka Spooky Grisette Adam Ryszka Even fungus likes to dress up. This Amanita species, possibly Amanita contricta ( grisette ), has patches of universal veil tissue resembling a skeletal hand. Thank you Adam for providing this great photo from up in Oregon. Camera Samsung SGH-T989 Focal L. 4mm Aperture f/2.7 Shutter Sp. 1/300s ISO 50 Flash Off Photo taken on October 16, 2016 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Support TEST - We're still moving the following info over to this new system: Past orders (such as tickets and memberships)--don't worry, if you registered for Albion in December, we still have your details! Past announcements about monthly speakers, culinary events, forays, etc. Past Fungus Fair announcements and speaker lists Past field reports Past news articles Past bio pages (e.g., MycoGeeks) If you can't find what you're looking for, try using the Search icon at the top of the page. If you still can't find what you're looking for, feel free to use the Contact Us form and ask where to find it. Where Did Things Go? In November 2025, we started moving this website to a new system. Here is a list of what is still being migrated.