Coprinopsis lagopus gr. © Terry Way Coprinopsis Lagopus Group Terry Way This beautiful mushroom was found in Terry's backyard. Phil Carpenter pegs it as being in the Coprinopsis lagopus group. One of the Inky Caps, this exquisite and evanescent member of the Psathyrellaceae family is a feast for the eyes. Not for the table, though: this tiny mushroom is considered inedible. Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark III Focal L. 100mm Aperture f/22.0 Shutter Sp. ISO 10000 Flash Off Photo taken on September 29, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

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

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News The Wood Wide Web (from the BBC) Most of us know many species of fungi form mycorrhyzal relatonships with plants... but it hasn't always been clear what exactly they are doing and who is benefiting from this relationship. Sue Labiste • November 18, 2014 At Eldorado National Forest (2016). Photo by Anne Dyari Discoveries about chemical warfare, defense communication, protection, food sharing and assistance are all outlined in this fascinating article as part of a "wood wide web" network. This article is written about the ongoing science without a lot of technical detail. So, for anyone who finds the scientific jargon or the myriad of papers difficult to wade through, this is fascinating light reading. This BBC article was suggested by Geary Lyons of BAMs. I hope you enjoy it. https://web.archive.org/web/20141112121629/http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141111-plants-have-a-hidden-internet Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Microscopy of Gilled Mushrooms Chanterelle Look Alike Rewriting Evolutionary History Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

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 Mountain Vineyard. He stumbled into this occupation as a teenager in 1979 when he came to Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard one day to help bottle through a friend of a friend, and then failed to ever look for a “real job”. Jeff has never written a resumé, never filled out a job application, and never worn a tie. He became the owner of the business when his mentor and winery founder, Ken Burnap, retired in 2004, after a 25 year apprenticeship/collaboration together. Jeff has now seen 46 harvests in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Visit the Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard/Quinta Cruz website at http://www.santacruzmountainvineyard.com 2026 Jeff Emery 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets Mushroom Cooking Demo with Tasting and optional Wine Pairing Chef Chad Hyatt will demonstrate his cooking techniques and his creations will be paired with exquisite wines provided by vintner Jeff Emery of Santa… Show More Sunday, January 11, 2026 10:15 PM - 11:25 PM Room 3

News & Stories / Stewardship 2019 Elections. May 15 2019 Tired of politics? Here is your opportunity to engage in fairly non-controversial and rewarding issues on a very local level, without a grueling, eye-rolling 2 year campaign period! Sue Willis • March 19, 2019 You're the missing piece! (based on a photo by Katherine Elvin) The Fungus Federation is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We have all the trappings, including a set of bylaws and a Board of Directors, known as Ministers in Fungusfedspeak. Elections are held every two years at the last meeting of the season. This year's elections will be held at the Membership meeting on May 15th at the Harvey West Scout House. Below you'll find a list of the Board Members up for election. Please note that only the Prime Minister and Vice Prime Minister positions require having served previously as a board member. The other positions can be held by any FFSC member. This is a super opportunity to get involved in the operation of the Fungus Federation, direct and shape the club's activities, and get to know a great group of people. Again, THIS IS AN ELECTION! You can step up for any office, even if there is already a name listed. Several positions have provisional candidates who are open to either stepping aside for an enthusiastic new person. To get a sense of what is entailed in these positions, check out the Ministerial Duties in the bylaws , see if anything looks interesting, and chat up the relevant ministers. They'll be happy to talk about what they do so you can see if a particular job might be a good fit. Let Prime Minister Vellany Pierce know if you'd like to participate! Elected Positions: Prime Minister : Vellany Pierce Vice Prime Ministe r: Open - Richard Rammer will run but would welcome an actual race (or perhaps step aside for another candidate) Minister of Propaganda: Open - Kitty Elvin will continue but welcomes new volunteers contribute to this position. Minister of the Exchequer (Finance) : Margaret Carpenter Minister of Membership: Open Minister of Programs: Richard Lyness has volunteered to return to this position, but is open to stepping aside for a fresh contributor. Minister of Long Distance Forays: Open - Kitty Elvin will continue if necessary but would love to pass this essential and rewarding position on. Minister of Local Forays : Dan Tischler. Dan would like to form a Local Foray Committee to increase variety and frequence of local forays. Scribe: Andrea Wilson can continue or pass to an aspiring scribe. Super intro position, no knowledge of mushrooms necessary. Stores : Andrea Wilson Science Advisors: Henry Young, Christian Schwarz, Phil Carpenter Appointed Positions: These positions are not part of this year's elections process, but please let Vellany Pierce or a board member know if you have an interest in one of these! Sustenance : Bob Wynn Culinary : Bob Wynn continues in Culinary and would welcome a co-conspirator for planning and setup duties Video/Media : Vellany Pierce, welcomes members of potential media committee Website : Open Education : Jeanne Gonda Fair : Les Seltzer NAMA Representative: Phil Carpenter Minister at Large : Open . The updated elected ministers are found at this page: FFSC Ministers Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts FFSC Bylaws 2026 Revision Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Russulales News – Website for Russula Lovers Is Back Online The Russulales Newsletter, from the 1990s, has been resurrected via the joint effort of an international team of mycologists. Wendy Wells • April 2, 2011 Russula brevipes. Photo by Katherine Elvin You can’t go wrong with 400+ species on the site. Check it out, all you Russula fans: https://www2.muse.it/russulales-news/ For example, see the online synoptic key to the species of Russula in North America https://www2.muse.it/russulales-news/id_kibby_fatto.asp Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Kyle Garrone Kyle Garrone holds a degree in Plant Biology from the University of California, Davis with a focus on plant pathology and mycology. He has been the Production Manager of Far West Fungi since graduating from UC Davis in 2010, with his primary focus on increasing yields and experimenting with new varieties of mushrooms that have potential for wholesale customers. Kyle has traveled throughout the world to find the most successful and efficient growing methods and the most resilient and highest yielding mushroom varieties. He enjoys sharing what he has learned with those who are interested in exotic mushroom cultivation. farwestfungi.com Far West Fungi - Organic Mushrooms, Grow Kits & Mushroom Products Far West Fungi grows and sells fresh organically grown and wild mushrooms, mushroom grow kits and mushroom products. 2026 Kyle Garrone 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets Commercial Mushroom Cultivation Sunday, January 11, 2026 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM Room 1 Mushroom Cultivation Monday, January 13, 2025 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM Room 1

News & Stories / Field Reports Adventures in Austria This summer I was fortunate to have the opportunity to join a group of 4 other people to accompany Daniel Winkler on one of his MushRoaming tours. Phil Carpenter • October 16, 2015 Phil with a patch of chanterelles in Austria (2015) If you are unaware of this company, Daniel leads multiple mycological eco-tours to many areas of the world. Check out his website at mushroaming.com . This summer was the first time he organized a trip to his homeland, Munich, Germany. Daniel's family owns a 300+ year old farmhouse (Severenhaus) in St. Johann, a small town in the beautiful Tyrolean Alps a short drive from Munich. Growing up, he spent a lot of time there with his family and developed his interest and knowledge about mushrooms in the spruce and beech forests of the area. After meeting up with the group in Munich and doing some great sightseeing in the ancient capital of Bavaria, we loaded up the rental van and drove to St. Johann through the picturesque Tyrolean Alps. The area is well known for its many ski areas and unique wooden architecture. Our destination was Severenhaus where we were most comfortably housed. A unique feature of this very old but very sturdy building was the low doorways. The bottom of the heavy beams forming the top of the doorway was right at the middle of my forehead, and I’m not a tall person. Needless to say, there were a number of encounters with those most solid beams, especially for the taller people in the group. The Severenhaus was located outside of town at the base of the Niederkaiser, a low limestone mountain range in the shadow of the much taller and more rugged Wilderkaiser range. Of course, as soon as we unloaded our gear, we set off behind the house on our first little mushroom foray. Unfortunately, the area had just experience record high temperatures for a while before we arrived so conditions were pretty dry and few mushrooms were found. Mostly, we found some small Marasmius species. Chanterelles in the Viktualien market in Munich (2015) The next day, however, we drove to an area nearby where there were extensive sphagnum moss beds and notably more moisture. We hit the jackpot there filling our baskets with the small European chanterelles. A “big” one was maybe and inch and a half across, many being smaller. They were certainly tasty, though! Since we ate most of our meals at Severenhaus, we had them fixed in many different dishes. On those occasions when we sampled the very tasty local restaurant cuisine, there were always chanterelle dishes on the menu. They were also found in many of the local open-air markets. Dried boletes in the Viktualien market in Munich (2015) Over the next week, we alternated sight-seeing and collecting forays to various regions in the area. One day we went to Salzburg and visited Mozart’s place of birth as well as the imposing castle high on the central hill. After reaching St. Johann, we had much cooler and rainy weather which was great for the Dried boletes in the Viktualien market in Munich. We did much better towards the end of the trip and were able to put together a species list of nearly 100 species. I was very surprised to find that I was able to not only recognize the mushroom genera but also many species. Daniel had a number of field guides for the area but they were all in German. With Daniel translating and the color photographs for all the mushrooms, we were able to positively identify nearly everything we found. Daniel Winkler with a cluster of Lyophyllum decastes (fried chicken mushrooms) The trip was over much sooner than we’d have liked but we went away having seen the incredibly beautiful scenery of the area, experienced some great habitats and mushroom fruitings, had some long and exhilarating hikes in the steep local mountains, ate some delicious meals, both at restaurants and the Severenhaus, and of course, sampled quite a few of the numerous local beers. I even took the opportunity to visit the world’s oldest continuously operating brewery (Weihenstephan, brewing since 1040!) in Freising, about an hour train ride outside of Munich. I’d like to add that this trip with Daniel was very well organized, relaxed but efficient and thoroughly enjoyable. The group was friendly and of varied and interesting backgrounds. It was a real pleasure to be able to share the Winkler family house in Austria and experience the comfortable feeling of being in a home instead of a hotel. If you have a chance to join Daniel on one of his trips, I highly recommend going! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Field Report - 2021 NAMA Foray Grandby CO Phil Carpenter receives Knighton Award at Appalachia NAMA 2023 Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Noah Siegel Noah is one of North America’s foremost field mycologists; he has spent over three decades seeking, photographing, identifying, and furthering his knowledge about all aspects of macrofungi. He travels and lectures extensively across America, following the mushrooms from coast to coast. Noah was the recipient of the 2022 North American Mycological Association’s Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology. His primary research interest is on the taxonomy and systematics of fungi. He authored, along with Christian Schwarz, " Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast ", and " Mushrooms of Cascadia ", as well as " A Field Guide to the Rare Fungi of California's National Forests ". He is currently working on " Mushrooms of Alaska ", with Steve Trudell and Kate Mohatt. 2026 Noah Siegel 2026 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Talks Buy Tickets Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast From towering redwoods to live oak woodlands, northern California has diverse habitats which host a dazzling array of fungi. From the worlds largest chanterelle,… Show More Saturday, January 11, 2025 10:45 PM - 11:45 PM Room 3 Adventures of a Mycohobo Ever wonder what mushrooms occur in the jungles of tropical Africa and South America, or the dripping, moss covered Antarctic Beech forests of New… Show More Sunday, January 12, 2025 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Room 3

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,…

News & Stories / Origami Microscope Stanford’s Prakash Lab has engineered a folding microscope made of a sheet of paper. Shea Moss • June 9, 2014 Foldscope image (hosted on foldscope.com). Yes, it is indeed an Origami microscope. It can be used outdoors, is strong enough to survive a drop from a second story window, and is somewhat water resistant. It was developed with the idea of promoting science in undeveloped countries as well as in education. The scope costs about $.50 cents to $1.00 to manufacture. The Foldscope project at the lab won the Gates Exploration Grant. Now it is being field tested. Unfortunately we are hearing about this too late to apply to be one of the 10,000 Beta testers they were looking for, but it may be well worth our while to keep an eye on their progress. It would be a wonderful field mycology tool. To read more: http://www.foldscope.com/ Prakash gave a TED talk about the device, and shows the Foldscope in this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8cF5QPPmWU Don’t miss this one…. Amazing!!! Editor's Note: In 2016, Foldscope was successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Microscopy of Gilled Mushrooms Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Puff of Smoke (Caloscypha fulgens). Lassen National Park. Photo by Hugh Smith Puff of Smoke Hugh Smith Caloscypha fulgens disperses its spores using synchronous spore ejection (a single rapid burst). Camera (Not provided) Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on June 4, 2016 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo