Agaricus Reflections When I was a boy, my father, sister and I would pick Agaricus cupreobrunneus, campestris, and sometimes bitorquis . We enjoyed them, by themselves, cooked in a little butter, or with other foods. They were a delicious part of early winter. ... Agaricus californicus. © Noah Siegel (from mushroomobserver.org) I still pick them, but not with the enjoyment I had when little. I don’t know that xanthodermus and californicus weren’t then present, but we never agonized over our IDs. If it was growing in grasslands, had pink to brown gills, then it got collected and eaten. Now, every Fall and Winter, I use the below file, and eating them just isn’t the same. Cooking: my small pan likes 0.2 oz butter, mushroom pan should be covered, cooked on low heat until the juices turn blackish, serve lightly salted. Unwelcome Agaricus All of these have thick, pendant to skirt-like partial veils: californicus , praeclaresquamosus , hondensis , xanthodermus . The xanthodermus veil can be thin, and the ample and skirtlike veiled older caps don’t always yellow when margin is rubbed. If sliced in half lengthwise, the base of the stipe will yellow. Welcome Agaricus 1. Thick, flaring veils: bitorquis , bernardii , lilaceps (sometimes flaring). 2. Growth in fields : campestris (veil thin, variable in appearance), bernardii (veil thick but sheathlike), bitorquis (veil thick and often flaring), cupreobrunneus (veil thin, sometimes flaring): almondy smelling types: arvensis (veil thin, skirt-like), osecanus (veil thin, skirt-like). 3. Growth in manured, or enriched soils : bisporus ; subrufescens is almondy. 4. Growth in forests : brown cap breaking into brown scales is subrutilescens (but the more robust lilaceps is also brown and grows with trees and the collection in “recent experiences”, below, would fall here, too, though it had a pendant veil); augustus , perobscurus , silvicola , albolutescens are all almondy. 5. Almond or anise smelling : augustus , perobscurus , albolutescens , silvicola , arvensis , osecanus , subrufescens . 6. Red-stainers : fuscofibrillosus , arorae , lilaceps , bernardii . 7. Small, rarely in sufficient quantity to welcome collection : micromegathus and diminutivus groups. 8. Others fall under the above species. Resource: Agaricus section of Mushrooms Demystified, p. 310 Recent Experiences I spoke with Rick Kerrigan at the NAMA Santa Cruz conference, and later, at SOMA camp. He said that California has more species of Agaricus than have been described. My feeling: If you’re not comfortable with this, you shouldn’t eat Agaricus . A recent find cooked up with a slight taste of both phenol and iodine. I had a few bites of it, decided I didn’t really need to lose the contents of my stomach and tossed the rest out. But the tastes weren’t overpowering, the mushroom, whatever species it was, really wasn’t objectionable. The few mouthfuls I had produced no stomach distress. And when I later asked Rick Kerrigan, he re-affirmed my beliefs toward Agaricus toxicity: he knew of no one with gastric upset where symptoms lasted more than 24 hours. Mushrooms covered: See code Previous Description All Featured Fungi Next Description

Red Russula. Photo by Justin Ciccone Red Russula Justin Ciccone This beautiful Russula was photographed by Justin Ciccone during a nice rainy hike at Nisene Marks park on November 19, 2014. Happy Holidays! Camera Nikon D90 Focal L. 35mm Aperture f/7.1 Shutter Sp. 1/200s ISO 125 Flash Fired Photo taken on November 19, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Mushroom Cloud Over Silicon Valley. Photo by Dan Turkus Mushroom Cloud Over Silicon Valley Dan Turkus I was out in the hills of Los Gatos looking for mushrooms and saw this mushroom cloud over the Silicon Valley. I took out my phone and took a picture of the only mushroom I found on that day, March 9, 2015. Camera Samsung SCH-I545 Focal L. 4mm Aperture f/2.2 Shutter Sp. ISO 50 Flash Off Photo taken on March 9, 2015 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Lycoperdon perlatum. © Alan Rockefeller Lycoperdon perlatum Alan Rockefeller Common Puffball Lycoperdon perlatum , iNaturalist Camera Canon EOS 60D Focal L. 100mm Aperture f/14.0 Shutter Sp. 1/200s ISO 640 Flash Fired Photo taken on July 1, 2012 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

A Little Buggy. Photo by Karen Hilker A Little Buggy Karen Hilker During a walk in the Sierra, I snapped some pictures of a light tan blob on a charred tree... Camera Canon PowerShot S3 IS Focal L. 6mm Aperture f/2.7 Shutter Sp. 1/200s ISO Flash Off Photo taken on July 8, 2011 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Thea Chesney Thea Chesney is a lifelong Sierra Nevada foothill resident and naturalist. She has had an interest in mushrooms (and plants, and the rest of the natural world) since early childhood, which gradually became an obsession. She holds a B.S. in forestry from UC Berkeley. During her time at Berkeley, she spent plenty of time working and hanging out in the Berkeley mycology labs. She worked on a mushroom survey crew around Mt. Shasta for several seasons, which allowed her to become intimately familiar with the fungal inhabitants and ecology of the area. Since then, she has worked a variety of field jobs, primarily as a botanist. She teaches occasional workshops in mushroom and plant identification. Her fieldwork and her own studies of plants and fungi are centered in the Sierra Nevada and other mountains of California. 2026 Thea Chesney 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets Fungal Range Maps How We Build Them and Why They Matter Understanding where an organism lives, and why, is an essential part of understanding its life history and ecology, yet we have been lacking in… Show More Sunday, January 12, 2025 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM Room 3

About FFSC and Our Mission Our mission is to foster and expand, through education and by example, the understanding and appreciation of mycology; and to assist the general public and related institutions or groups to further this goal. And to always keep the "fun" in fungus! Local Foray 2023. Photo by Katherine Elvin The Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz (FFSC) is made up of a collection of creative individuals who come together for the study and pursuit of wild mushrooms. We are a diverse lot with members of many interests: master gardeners, winemakers, chefs, beekeepers, chocolatiers, brewers, and of course, mycologists. In addition to running our own events for our members, we co-sponsor or volunteer at community educational events, provide grants to mycology students, and provide mushroom identification services to local hospitals. FFSC evolved as a result of David Arora’s mushroom classes and early Fungus Fairs in the Santa Cruz area in the 1970’s. We incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in 1984, and celebrated our 40th anniversary in 2024! Visit our FFSC History page to learn more about how we started. FFSC an affiliated club of the North American Mycological Association (NAMA). Visit our Other Mycological Clubs page to learn more about NAMA and some of the other clubs in California. Visit these pages and other areas of this website to learn more about our organization: Why Join FFSC? FFSC Financials FFSC Bylaws Contact FFSC Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

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 bilingual proficiency developed over 15 years of studying mushroom diversity in Mexico, he leads forays across North America, sparking interest and discovery. His extensive contributions to community science include teaching many mushroom DNA, photography and microscopy workshops and identifying over 300,000 fungi online. As of today, Alan has uploaded more than 700 of his own fungal DNA sequences to Genbank, and he is a co-author on several scientific papers, including publications documenting new species of bioluminescent Mycena and Psilocybe . www.mycena.llc Mycena Home Page Explore the genetic intricacies of fungi with mycologists. Discover events, workshops, and stunning fungal photography. Shop courses & merch. Join our mycology community! 2026 Alan Rockefeller 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets Revealing Fungal Secrets: Apps and Programs for Mushroom Discovery In this talk, Alan Rockefeller will demonstrate powerful Android and iPhone apps, websites, and computer programs that help mushroom enthusiasts, researchers, and photographers explore… Show More Friday, January 9, 2026 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM Room 3 Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Fungi These types of mushrooms are both beautiful and scientifically fascinating. This presentation has hundreds of high quality photos and photography tips for both types… Show More Friday, January 10, 2025 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM Room 3 Decoding the Forest Floor The Art of Mushroom Recognition Sunday, January 12, 2025 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Room 1

Click (or hold+drag) a page to turn it Loading... (refresh if slow)

Turkey tail. Photo by Meryl Wilsker The Turkey Tail Meryl Wilsker Found at Rancho San Antonio Park in Los Altos, California. This particular Turkey Tail was approximately 6-7 inches across sitting on the very top of a tree stump/log with smaller Turkey Tails up and down the trunk. Trametes versicolor at MushroomExpert Trametes versicolor at MykoWeb Trametes versicolor at Tom Volk's Fungi Camera Apple iPhone 4 Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on February 18, 2017 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

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 founded in 1984. He has been very active in the FFSC since joining, acting as President for many years as well as several other offices, including Minister of Science for many years. He is also currently a Regional Trustee for the North American Mushroom Association (NAMA). Phil has conducted mushroom identification classes for FFSC members for over ten years. In addition, he has taught mushroom foraging and identification at the University of California, Santa Cruz for over 25 years; for local park districts; for private resorts; for food events such as the Masters of Food and Wine and the Gourmet Fest in nearby Carmel; and for private parties. He heads up the mushroom identification service provided at the well-known and highly-attended annual Fungus Fair presented by the FFSC. He has been and continues to be a resource of mushroom identification for monthly FFSC meetings and periodic local and long distance forays. He provides identification and consulting for mushroom poisonings for hospitals and veterinarians. Phil was the 2023 recipient of the Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award given by the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) in recognition of his many years of distinguished service to the mycology community. 2026 Dr. Phil Carpenter 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets Introduction to Mushroom Identification Saturday, January 10, 2026 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM Room 1 Introduction to Mushroom Identification Saturday, January 10, 2026 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM Room 1 Question And Answer Session about Identifying and Cooking Wild Mushrooms Sunday, January 11, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Room 1 An Introduction to Mushroom Identification Saturday, January 11, 2025 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM Room 1 An Introduction to Mushroom Identification Sunday, January 12, 2025 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM Room 1 An Introduction to Mushroom Identification Sunday, January 12, 2025 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM Room 1

Pilobolus sp. Photo by Judith Ogus Pilobolus Fungus Judith Ogus Found the fungus on horse manure and used a 200mm macro lens for the photo and Canon40D body. Camera Canon40D Focal L. 200mm Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on April 20, 2019 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo