Members Holiday Potluck A Festive Gathering for Members and Their Guests Spend a delicious evening in the company of the great cooks of the FFSC at our annual members' Holiday Potluck! We’re excited to invite all Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz members and their guests to our Annual Holiday Potluck—a cherished tradition that brings together our community, celebrates mushrooms, and embraces the spirit of the season! FFSC members can login for details about the date, time and location of the 2025 potluck, what to bring and more below. (This event replaces December's member meeting and guest speaker.) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

Santa Cruz Fungus Fair After Hours Dinner On opening night of the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair each January, we indulge in a multi-course prix fixe meal crafted by a celebrity chef. Each year brings a unique selection of tasty mushroom dishes, and may include wine pairing, music, and/or other activities. Tickets to the After Hours Dinner usually go on sale in early December, and sell out quickly. (Fungus Fair General admission tickets do not include the dinner.) Examples of Past Dinners 2025 Menu presented by Chef Chad Hyatt Wine pairings by Jeff Emery, Winemaker, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Live music by George Heagerty & Never the Same Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

Spring Long Distance Foray Join our Spring Foray when the snow melts in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and enjoy the vernal appearance of morels, coccoras, woodland agaricus and early boletes. FFSC's first Spring Foray was in 1987, led by Brad Beebe. Brad would scout the Sierras for morels in multiple locations in April and decide a week or so prior where he would lead. It was so well received that it was established as an annual foray. This is a loose gathering for FFSC members. Everyone finds their own camping spot and hunts on their own. The only fixed event is the Saturday night potluck. Everyone meets at a designated location, brings chairs, their dish, drinks, eating gear and firewood. Everyone helps clean up and we are sure to have good food, drinks, laughter as we share our hunt stories around the fire. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

An Educator's Guide to Fungi K-6 The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) has generously shared this incredible resource with K-6 educators and the public. Cover image of the Fungus Files, by terraBrie Stewart and Rost Koval, courtesy of NAMA The Fungus Files: An Educator’s Guide to Fungi K-6 (Second Edition) , is a newly revised e-book packed with dynamic and diverse activities designed to be easily adaptable to students of all ages, learning styles and ability levels. This publication is the best thing to come along in mushroom education in a decade. Image from The Fungi Files by terraBrie Stewart and Rost Koval, courtesy of NAMA Written by terraBrie Stewart and designed and illustrated by Rost Koval, The Fungus Files can be used by anyone teaching about fungi to school groups, science clubs, local nature groups, and any non-specialist audience. Stewart resides in Edmonton, Alberta. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

Fuchsi. Hygrocybe coccinea. Photo by Joshua Becker Fuchsi Joshua Becker Found in Big Basin along the Skyline-to-Sea Trail. Wet weather. Visit our Featured Fungi page on waxy caps to get more information on these lovely mushrooms: Hygrocybe laetissima (Waxy Caps) Camera (Not provided) Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on December 12, 2016 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

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,…

2026 Speaker Schedule Visitors attended fascinating talks by distinguished and up-and-coming mycologists during the 2026 Fungus Fair in January. You can also browse 2026 Fair Speakers by name. The Fungus Fair has two lecture venues: The London Nelson Multipurpose Room ( Room 3 ) is where you'll find our headliners. To attend these talks you will need to buy a separate ticket for each talk , in addition to your general admission ticket. This year we will be selling the majority of these tickets online, in advance of the fair. Though we will continue to sell a few tickets at the door for procrastinators, it is highly recommended that you buy your ticket ahead of time if there is a particular speaker whom you are very motivated to see. Talk tickets for 2026 went on sale in December, along with general admission tickets to the Fungus Fair. A smaller lecture room ( Room 1 ) will have informative and educational talks given by local, or not so local, knowledgeable mycologists. These talks are free, but you must have a Fungus Fair general admission hand stamp to get in, and please note that seating (and standing room) is limited and first-come, first-served. Include room(s): All Room 1 Room 3 Fair days Friday Saturday Sunday Tips and Techniques for Cooking With Mushrooms Chef Bob Wynn ... ... Friday, January 9, 2026 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Room 1 Friday Revealing Fungal Secrets: Apps and Programs for Mushroom Discovery Alan Rockefeller ... ... In this talk, Alan Rockefeller will demonstrate powerful Android and iPhone apps, websites, and computer programs that help mushroom enthusiasts, researchers, and… Show More Friday, January 9, 2026 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Room 3 Friday Introduction to Mushroom Identification Phil Carpenter ... ... Friday, January 9, 2026 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Room 1 Friday The Underground Internet, 30 Years Later Christian Schwarz ... ... By now, almost everyone's heard of "Wood Wide Webs" — invisible forest networks through which trees, fungi, and other organisms communicate and… Show More Saturday, January 10, 2026 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Room 3 Saturday The Top Ten Edible and Poisonous Wild Mushrooms Douglas Smith ... ... Saturday, January 10, 2026 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Room 1 Saturday Truffles: The Egos, Ecology, and Economics of Cultivating and Hunting Nature’s Nuggets of Gold Stephanie S. Jarvis, MSc ... ... Because these fungi are far more than gourmet ingredients — they’re ecological power players, political lightning rods, and the ultimate test of… Show More Saturday, January 10, 2026 11:05 AM - 12:05 PM Room 3 Saturday Getting Started with Cultivation Vellany Pierce ... ... Saturday, January 10, 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Room 1 Saturday Fungi in Art Through Space and Time Jason Raiti ... ... 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… Show More Saturday, January 10, 2026 12:40 PM - 1:40 PM Room 3 Saturday Introduction to Mushroom Identification Phil Carpenter ... ... Saturday, January 10, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Room 1 Saturday Fungal Sporecasting: From Continental to Local Spore Drifts and Constraints on Fungal Dispersal Andrew Ratz ... ... Fungi are vital ecosystem drivers, along with delectable and wondrous organisms, yet their dispersal via microscopic airborne spores remains a challenge to… Show More Saturday, January 10, 2026 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM Room 3 Saturday Medicinal Mushrooms Traditional Usage in Chinese Medicine and Modern Scientific Research Dr. Bill Schoenbart ... ... Medicinal mushrooms have a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. They have also been the subject of numerous scientific studies… Show More Saturday, January 10, 2026 3:50 PM - 4:50 PM Room 3 Saturday Poisonous Mushrooms Henry Young ... ... Saturday, January 10, 2026 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Room 1 Saturday Truffles in the Wind: Unexpected Airborne Pathways for Underground Fungi Andrew Ratz ... ... While most mushrooms cast their spores to the wind, truffles have evolved to stay underground. They release strong scents and can mimic… Show More Sunday, January 11, 2026 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Room 3 Sunday Question And Answer Session about Identifying and Cooking Wild Mushrooms Chad Hyatt Phil Carpenter ... Sunday, January 11, 2026 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Room 1 Sunday Sea Islands, Sky Islands, and Dry Islands: the Biogeography of Macrofungi Christian Schwarz ... ... Making maps of the distributions of organisms is one of the most fascinating topics in all of natural history. The theory of… Show More Sunday, January 11, 2026 11:05 AM - 12:05 PM Room 3 Sunday DNA Sequencing for the Fungus Federation Douglas Smith ... ... Sunday, January 11, 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Room 1 Sunday The Mystery of Amanita phalloides Jason Raiti ... ... A deep dive into the literature in an accessible form, to tell the story of the invasive fungus Amanita phalloides. This is… Show More Sunday, January 11, 2026 12:40 PM - 1:40 PM Room 3 Sunday Commercial Mushroom Cultivation Kyle Garrone ... ... Sunday, January 11, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Room 1 Sunday Mushroom Cooking Demo with Tasting and optional Wine Pairing Jeff Emery Chad Hyatt ... Chef Chad Hyatt will demonstrate his cooking techniques and his creations will be paired with exquisite wines provided by vintner Jeff Emery… Show More Sunday, January 11, 2026 2:15 PM - 3:25 PM Room 3 Sunday Energetics of Medicinal Mushrooms in Traditional Chinese Medicine: How they Work Along with Herbs to Treat Various Conditions Dr. Bill Schoenbart ... ... Sunday, January 11, 2026 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Room 1 Sunday What You Need to Know About Poisonous Mushrooms Henry Young ... ... Explore the intersection of poisonous mushrooms and people who accidentally or purposefully eat them. Toxic fungi from the deadly to the lose… Show More Sunday, January 11, 2026 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Room 3 Sunday

Collection Ethics and Etiquette We share these pointers to promote fungal fruiting and maintain harmony in the mushrooming community. Agaricus campestris. Photo by D. DeShazer Respect private property: One person can cause collecting privileges for the entire mushrooming community to be revoked. Don’t pick every mushroom you see: Leaving very young and very old mushrooms, along with a few in their prime may allow them to sporulate and reproduce. Don’t leave trimmings and broken mushrooms around: Bury your trimmings in the depression in the duff and cover with more duff. This keeps the mycelium healthy, prevents that “ravaged” look and vastly improves the aesthetics of a walk in the woods. (Cutting mushrooms and leaving the bottom exposed does not help the mycelia to regrow a mushroom as some people think.) You’ll know you’ve done a good job when you stumble across the area again and hunt it twice! Respect personal space: When collecting with a group, be respectful of your neighbors’ personal space. That said, if you found a huge bonanza, share a few of your findings with those less skilled or fortunate. It will come back to you! Review event policies: Each FFSC event includes a few policies for the safety and well-being of all participants, cancellation policies, and/or policies defined by the facilities we use. Be sure to read the policies carefully before registering and before attending each event. For long-distance forays, please also read Must Know to Participate in Long-Distance Forays . Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

Earth Star (Astraeus hygrometricus). Photo by Tim Teske Earth Star Tim Teske Found in Rancho San Antonio park along the Rogue Valley Trail. Appeared shortly after a brief day of rain during an unusually dry season. Learn more about the genus Astraeus : Astraeus (fungus) , Wikipedia Barometer Earthstars (Genus Astraeus) , iNaturalist California Mushrooms, page 460 Astraeus hygrometricus , Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, page 533 Camera Apple iPhone X Focal L. 4mm Aperture f/1.8 Shutter Sp. 1/100s ISO 40 Flash Off Photo taken on December 23, 2017 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Hymenoscyphus fructigenus on Acorn. Photo by Anisa Etemadi Mushy Acorn Anisa Etemadi This acorn was found under a decomposing log in the Santa Cruz mountains. The photo was taken by Anisa Etemadi and the acorn was found by Zac Vavoulis. We believe they are Hymenoscyphus fructigenus , a saprobic mushroom found on only certain nuts! Camera Apple iPhone 6s Focal L. 4mm Aperture f/2.2 Shutter Sp. 1/300s ISO 100 Flash Off Photo taken on December 11, 2016 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

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