News & Stories / Field Reports My Adventures in Telluride Colorado I was in full mushroom frenzy. Those of you who have seen me hunting know what that means. Porcini, hawkwings, chanterelles, milk caps and many assorted other fungi. Katherine (Kitty) Elvin • September 3, 2019 Kitty Helvella I don't know why, but I had this strange desire to attend the annual Telluride Mushroom Festival in Colorado. I wanted to do this so much it made it my bucket list. I loved the idea of the Festival parade which seemed like a small town parade where folks dressed up as mushrooms. Hearing about the great mushrooms in Colorado did not hurt either. This year, I finally managed to get this Festival on my schedule and I was not disappointed. Majestic Colorado Have you ever visited the Colorado Rockies? It is beautiful. I managed to coerce my friend Genine, another FFSC member, to join me on my adventure and agree to dress up with me for the parade which was the highlight of my trip. This became my sole focus and bucket list item, "to walk in the Telluride festival dressed as a mushroom". No silly Amanita hat for me, for my bucket list it had to be a costume I made. After months of agonizing what to do, I finally got around to make the costume. It took 3 weekends and probably only 6 hours of actual work not including the hours agonizing how to make my vision a reality. Then it was done, and no one was allowed to see until I pranced onto the parade for the "grand reveal". Telluride is NOT a cheap event. The festival tickets are $240 for the early bird tickets. Lodging around Telluride is also pricey, unless you plan on camping out nearby. Adding the plane fare and car rental it all adds up. We landed in Colorado and got into the car and headed to the Rockies. It reminded me of Alaska. The majestic mountains with snow and trees. This was Genine's first time in Colorado and she was amazed. 3 little agarics We spent most of our time hiking in the mountains. Our first festival event was the all day foray led by Chad Hyatt and Chris from the Colorado club. Telluride is located about 8000-9000'. The foray took us to 10,000 to 11,000'. We found mushrooms but for me, each exertion was tough. I had difficulty with the elevation, and it was hard for me not to slow down. It took 3 full days for the acclimation to finally set. By then, I was in full mushroom frenzy. For those of you who have seen me hunting know what that means. Porcini, hawkwings, chanterelles, milk caps and many assorted other fungi. I made a point of collecting fresh specimens for the table. I did however make some of other festival events: Wild Foods Lecture by Katrina Blair which was more focused bio remediation which was very interesting, Wild Food dinner, Beer and Wine happy hour (cordyceps and reishi beer), and the keynote speaker Tradd Cotter who also focused on bio remediation. Here is a link to the events . The festival was trying out a new scheduling experiment, which I felt was trying. You had to line up to get the limited tickets for some of the events. Unfortunately the locations are around town and the overlapping of events do not allow you to stand in line 20 mins before, while you were attending another at a different location. You can plan very carefully what, where and when and for the cost, not being able to attend was frustrating for many ticket holders. Since I was hiking most days it was not possible for me. Here is the link to the festival if you are interested. Everyone should check it out if you can. All in all, it was a fun extended weekend. Lots of good food, good folks, interesting lectures and plenty of nature to explore. Definitely something to do again. Yes, we did find mushrooms in Colorado, and it was as beautiful as everyone says. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts 2016 Alaska Foray Field Report Field Reports How I Spent My Summer Vacation Writings Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

"Fungi and Feline" (Psathyrella sp.) Photo by Mari Stauffer Fungi and Feline Mari Stauffer Howard Taken by by phone upside down on the grass. "Feline grace and lithe" appearance of the mushrooms along with the original feline in the background. Psathyrella genus? (Likely either Psathyrella corrugis or P. bipellis .) Camera Phone Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on December 31, 2018 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News Mushrooms of Australia and New Zealand A new illustration from Taylor Lockwood. Can you count how many mushrooms are there? :-) Yevgeny Nyden • March 5, 2014 Mushrooms of Australia and New Zealand (from mushroom.pro). ©2013 Taylor F. Lockwood Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Cam Cam by Taylor Lockwood Mycology & Art News Taylor Lockwood's National Geographic Magazine Debut Mycology & Art News Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Birch Boletes (2014). Photo by Steve Olson Birch Boletes in July! Steve Olson Found these little Birch Boletes in a neighbors wooded yard. I would love to pick and dry these little fellas but not sure if they've been spayed, fertilized, etc. Too bad……they look delicious! Found in San Carlos, July 20, 2014 Sadly only had my iPhone camera Camera Apple iPhone 5 Focal L. 4mm Aperture Shutter Sp. 1/100s ISO 80 Flash Off Photo taken on July 20, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

News & Stories / Field Reports 2016 February Local Foray Field Report It was a beautiful day for exploring the Santa Cruz area forests last Saturday 2/6/2016, and though the weather was amazing, the fleshy fungi were few and far between... Cass Fuentes • February 22, 2016 Forager basket with wax paper bags. Photo by Cass Fuentes Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts 2016 February Local Foray Field Report Field Reports Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

TriCini. Photo by Paul Lazazzera TriCini Paul Lazazzera I took this photo on April 8th 2018 in Watsonville California among some pine trees. I call this image "TriCini" for obvious reasons and it is to this date the most unique specimen of this species I have found. I harvested it to eat and gain its special powers! I hope you enjoy it as well. Camera Samsung SM-G935 Focal L. 4mm Aperture f/1.7 Shutter Sp. ISO 50 Flash Off Photo taken on April 8, 2018 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

News & Stories / Field Reports Habitat Walk Summary - 2013 To open the 2013 - 2014 mushroom season the Fungus Fed of Santa Cruz held a habitat walk on the west side of Santa Cruz on the morning of Saturday, September 28th. Though significant amounts of rain had yet to fall, the event was well attended by an enthusiastic group of around 20 fungiphiles. Cass Fuentes • September 29, 2013 2013 foray / habitat walk Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts November 2014 Habitat Walk Field Reports Foray and Habitat Walk March 2015 Field Reports Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Field Reports Busted It was 25 years ago in May that I joined a foray to Yosemite, led by David Arora. Tony Dewey • May 16, 2016 Morels. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Memories of Matsutake Writings Reality Check: Dispelling a Myth Writings Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Weathered Morel (2014). Photo by Hugh Smith Weathered Morel Hugh Smith Formerly called Morchella elata (which is now known not to exist in North America). Camera (Not provided) Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on May 18, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

News & Stories / Stewardship Phil Carpenter receives Knighton Award at Appalachia NAMA 2023 Phil Carpenter, FFSC Science Advisor, has been awarded the 2023 Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award by the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) ! Sue Willis • August 3, 2023 Phil Carpenter receiving Knighton Award. Photo credit: Brennon Strnad The Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award was established by the NAMA Board of Trustees to recognize and encourage persons who have distinguished themselves in service to their local clubs. It is named for the Knightons, whose efforts began the North American Mycological Association in 1967. The annual award consists of: A plaque Publicity for the winner and club in The Mycophile A one-year membership in the organization Rregistration, housing and foray fees for the next NAMA Foray. Each year's recipient is selected by the three most recent recipients of the Award. Every NAMA-affiliated mycological club may nominate one candidate whom it feels has performed meritorious service during the current or preceding year, which has to be described! The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of professional and amateur mycologists with over 90 affiliated mycological societies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Phil was presented with the award at the 2023 NAMA National Foray in North Carolina, with over 400 amateur and professional mycologists in attendance. Read a summary of Phil's contributions on pages 9-11 of The Mycophile Quarterly (July August September 2023 issue). Phil Carpenter. (Photo credit: Dan Tischler) Congratulations, Phil! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Field Report - 2021 NAMA Foray Grandby CO Field Reports Time Lapsed Laetiporous Field Reports Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

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…

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