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News & Stories / Fair News 2002 Santa Cruz Fungus Fair was a Rousing Success! We topped our previous total for number of species collected at over 280. We also had our largest attendance ever at more than 3000. Mark Gillespie • February 1, 2002 Ramaria sp. exhibit at a Fungus Fair. Photo by Larry Volpe Another milestone set was the largest number of new members signed up at the fair. As always, a huge acknowledgment of thanks is dueto the entire staff. Lee Yamada has completed his tenth success as Fair Minister. Nathan Wilson lent us his expertise as the lead for our identification crew, and the Santa Cruz Natural History Museum staff insured that the event ran smoothly. There are a tremendous number of people who volunteer their time for everything from set-up to checking the doors. All are due an enormous thank you! One of the most pleasant outcomes from the fair is a large number of new members. Because of this, the general meeting following the fair was dedicated to the basics of identification and was put on by Henry Young and Phil Carpenter. Those in attendance found it very helpful. There will be a beginner's ID class on Feb 6, Wednesday at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History from 7-9 pm. This is the perfect place to begin to learn the science of mushroom identification. Henry Young leads the class and makes the process fun and easy to follow. Another great way for beginners to get started and have a great time is to attend the second Albion foray described in this Duff . The food is great and you have an opportunity to sit and ID mushrooms with experienced members. I want to say welcome to all of our new members! Mark Gillespie, CEO Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Fungus Fair 2003 Recap Fungus Fair – Well Done! Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Writings Reality Check: Dispelling a Myth Have you ever walked down a trail you know, searching for mushrooms you had missed? What was different? Your perspective? So was mine--I could not recognize ground I covered from a different direction. I was lost. Henry Young • January 26, 2015 Forest at Kings Fire (2015). Photo by Yevgeny Nyden (Reprinted from FFSC's original Duff newsletter, 1998) After getting rained out on this year's annual Eldorado camping foray, Phil and I decided to return several weeks later based on reports from a friend of good hunting. We drove up Friday evening, June 5, arriving at the campground about 10:30 PM. First things first, we each had a beer. Then we made a minimal camp. We decided that since we could see the moon through the clouds that it wouldn’t rain and didn’t set up the tent. Phil set out his tarp and sleeping bag at the base of a large pine. I set my gear down in the open. On a trip to the restroom I found three Boletus edulis with my flashlight! We both took this as a good sign and planned on checking the campground in the morning. Before dawn I awoke to a clear sky and stars. Not long after, with the first sounds of morning, birdsong greeting us, the day began. With daylight we had coffee and sweet rolls and headed for the burn. Forest at Kings Fire (2015). Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Burns, whether controlled burns or forest fires, are good places to hunt morels in the Sierra Nevada. This was a controlled burn from the previous year. Arriving at the burn, Phil recommended a road I was unfamiliar with, that ran along the ridge above the burn. The road I knew was a few hundred yards below the ridge.This road was more like a stream bed than a road. The surface was “gravel” composed of 3-6” rocks. The lower road was earthen and smoother. With the burn bounded by the two roads we had good reference points for knowing where we were in relation to the truck. We would hunt up and down the slope and move down the road, driving the truck up a few hundred yards at a time. At the first likely spot we looked, we found a few fresh morels in what I call bear clover (not sure of the species) a habitat where neither of us had previously found any fungi. Encouraged, we kept moving up the ridge, stopping, checking, and collecting a few here and there. We found good habitat after a couple of hours and collected several pounds of morels each. At about 11:30 AM we broke for lunch. Phil had those obnoxious sardines in hot sauce, cheese, pickles, and potato chips. “Have you had the fat free chips?”, he asked. “Try some, they’re really good”. I did, not bad. I had my usual chub of salami, cheese, bread and some fruit. Of course both of us had beer. While we had lunch we observed the skyline and Phil noticed a coolness in the air that presaged a storm. Since we had heard the weather prediction, thunderstorms starting late Saturday for the weekend we were not surprised and agreed to get off that road before the rain started. After lunch we went back for more morels. At one point Phil chose to go further down the slope. Starting to tire, I decided to head back up slope to the truck. As I went, I intentionally drifted east or to my right thinking to search areas we hadn’t been in before I got to the road. I expected to come out on the road above the truck and just walked down to the truck. When I got to the ridge there was the road and a nice patch of morels which I picked. I then started down the road to the truck but quickly realized that I was on a different road than the ridge road the truck was on. This road led down between two ridges. “How did this happen?”, I asked myself. As I had worked my way up the hill I kept the ridge in sight and felt that I was still below the ridge road. What I did not know was that the ridge road ended a short distance from the truck and I had gone past that point before reaching the ridge. The road I was on was on the next ridge over. It was then about 2PM and I wasn’t worried about time to find my way back yet. Thinking to retrace my path, I returned to the last morel patch and tried to figure which way led back the way I had come. I realized that I had gotten turned around and no longer knew which way to go. Have you ever walked down a trail you know, searching for mushrooms you had missed? What was different? Your perspective? So was mine, I could not recognize the ground I covered from a different direction. I was lost. In the hope that I was wrong, I started up the ridge road I was on. I thought that if I was on the right road I’d get to the truck in a few minutes. Five minutes became ten, then fifteen, at which point I turned around and started back to the morel patch. By this time I was fatigued and not thinking clearly. I had gone out wearing just a tee shirt and jeans, leaving my fanny pack with emergency supplies in the truck. I had no food and no water. As I walked, and I walk at a fast pace, I noticed that my hands were turning blue. I assumed that it was from oxygen deprivation, since the day was still warm and I was not chilled, and I stopped to catch my breath. After that I would walk for 24-40 paces, stop, and breath ten times and resume walking. When I got back to the morel patch reference pointI spent about fifteen more minutes frantically trying to figure which way to go. As I tried to hike through the woods, off road I got light headed and dizzy, my legs cramping. I returned to the road and decided on the direction that led out to North-South Road and headed down it. After what seemed to be a couple of miles, I decided that I had gone too far and was going in the wrong direction. I turned around thinking that I should have followed one of the first rules when lost, stay put . I wanted to get back to the last morel patch because I knew it was within a few hundred yards of the truck and Phil would at some point honk the horn on the truck and I could follow the sound back. Then it started raining. Meanwhile Phil was wondering where I was since we had agreed to get out before the rain started. After I had left him he hunted down the slope and back up. When he got to the truck and I wasn’t there he just figured that I was still hunting elsewhere so he went back out again. Returning the second time and finding that I still wasn’t there he got concerned. He started honking the horn and calling out to me. When he got no response he became worried that I might be hurt and unable to respond. He then searched the slope we had been hunting, up and down, side to side. Since I had not gotten lost in the twelve years we’ve hunted together, he held firm in his mind, “Henry doesn’t get lost” . So the only other explanation for my absence was that I was hurt. When it started raining he knew that something must be wrong and he got his rain gear on and hiked out to North-South Road, where some horsemen were camped. This was because I had the truck keys and had not given him a duplicate since we were not locking the truck. He explained the situation to them and one of them gave him a ride to the nearest phone at the campground to call for help. Phil started by calling 911, but they could not connect him to the ranger search and rescue team. He finally got the search and rescue phone number and called direct. The effort to find me, beyond Phil’s, had begun. It was a frustratingly slow start for Phil as it took over an hour to get anyone else into the woods to search. He and two sheriff’s deputies finally got back out to where the truck was and re-searched the slope we had been hunting on. By then it was 5:30PM and Phil was tiring from all of the hiking he had done that day but he still moved up and down the slope easier and faster than the two deputies half his age. With darkness approaching, the deputies call off the search in the woods and explained to Phil that they would drive the roads with lights and sirens on to give me something to hone in on. At this point Phil said, “Aren’t you going to keep looking? Give me a light and I will.” “No. We don’t need two missing persons.” “But I’m telling you, Henry doesn’t get lost. He must be hurt and down in this rain he won’t survive the night.” “We’re going to drive the roads. You stay with the truck in case he shows up.” “What are you going to do about me?”, Phil asked. “Can’t you sleep in the back of the truck?” “No, it’s wet and full of gear.” When the rain started I knew that I had to make a shelter and hope that a rescue effort would start soon. I needed shelter from the rain and the cold of night. I chose a cedar tree to build a lean-to against. I chose the cedar because of its thick canopy, hoping it would help shed the rain. I started building the lean-to with eight foot branches about 3 inches in diameter. I leaned three main poles against the tree and started cutting green boughs from other trees to layer over the poles. I then added pine duff and more boughs. Then two of the poles collapsed and all I had was a pile of debris. I fished out the poles, moved the boughs and duff out of the way and started over. I made the second attempt a bit smaller than the first, but it too collapsed. At that point, I remembered that for heat retention, smaller is better . My third attempt to build a lean-to was small , the poles only touching the tree about three feet up. Just enough so that sitting with my back to the tree I had just enough room. This time it worked. I piled and gathered and piled until at most all I could see when looking out was a few specks of daylight. I left one side open so I could get in and out. One side kept collapsing which let the breeze flow through – finally though it stabilized. It helped to drape green branches over the doorway to reduce airflow. By then I was soaked to the skin and my activity and adrenaline were not enough to keep me warm so I stuffed my T-shirt with pine needles for insulation . Around 4PM I reached the point of exhaustion and chill that I could not work on my lean-to any longer, so I crawled in to wait. After a while I started thinking, “There’s still lots of daylight, the rain is letting up, I could walk for ½ hour trying to get back, and if not, return to the shelter.” I crawled out of my shelter, picked up my basket and started walking. I reached a dirt bike road going up a short distance from my shelter and started up it. My legs protested with trembling and cramps. My head spun. “You idiot, get back to your shelter.” I did. Sitting in my little lean-to, I had a lot of time to think over all of the things I could or should have done. The first and most obvious was that I should have worn my fanny pack. Had I done so, I would have been warm and dry in my shelter rather than cold and soaked to the skin. Being tired, I should have just gone to the truck instead of hunting more. As anyone who knows me is aware I wear a bandana to keep the sweat out of my eyes. I took it off and squeezed as much water out of it as I could. I then retied it in triangular fashion over my head to help retain some body heat. A short while later I reached up and felt it, it was dry! If you are cold, cover your head . You lose a lot of body heat out the top of your head and a hat will help retain it . I wondered what Phil was thinking and doing. I hoped he’d realized I was lost by this time and had gone for help. I shivered and rubbed my arms, stuffed my shirt with more pine needles and waited for dark. A while before dark I did something I hadn’t done in years. I said a prayer. This was different though. I prayed to my mother who had died just over two weeks ago on May 20. I prayed to her because at her funeral service, Father Mike urged us to when we were in a time of need. It was short and simple, “Ma, please send someone to find your son”. With darkness I started the long wait for the return of daylight. After calling for search and rescue, Phil called home to have his wife Margaret pass the word that I was missing to Marje, my wife. Marje was spending her afternoon shopping. About the time it started raining on me she started feeling uneasy. At 4PM a voice inside said “Go home, now!”. So she did. Since Phil or I hadn’t called to say we’d be back in time for dinner, Marge made dinner plans with a friend. Then Margaret called with the news that I was missing. Marge’s concern was the same as Phil’s. “Henry doesn’t get lost, so he must be hurt.” Two Eldorado Park Rangers arrived on the scene and following directions headed to where my truck was. Whether the directions were inaccurate or in the darkness they missed the second road to the right I don’t know. They wound up taking the third road right. Sitting shivering, thinking, fearing the night and hypothermia, I heard the sound of a motor vehicle. Turning toward the sound I saw headlights and spotlights round a bend in the road. I was instantly out of the shelter shouting and whistling to get their attention. The vehicle started down a side road away from me when I heard a woman’s voice say, “Where are you?”. I was thinking, “Come up the road not down.”, but all I could shout was “Up, up, up.” They understood and drove up to where I was. I had been found. Getting out of the vehicle someone noticed my lean-to and said, “Built yourself a shelter, smart move.” At that point I was untucking my shirt and dumping out the pine needles. I must have been a sight. “What are the pine needles for?” “Insulation.” “Another smart move.” They made room for me in the truck, gave me the front passenger seat and cranked up the heat. The myth? Henry doesn’t get lost; dispelled. Henry got lost. Now read Phil's account of this day from a companion's point of view. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Lost: The Companion's View Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Spring Fungi of the Sierra Nevada - 2026 Recap Each spring, the retreat of the snowpack provides a unique ecological window of opportunity for “snowbank fungi”, a group of mushrooms that (as the name suggests) grow in and around snowbanks. As spring gives way to summer, curious mycophiles from around the world gather at a rustic campus in Tahoe National Forest to study these fascinating fungi. Lisa Tesler • June 18, 2026 Snowbank fungi (Mycena overholtsii). Photo by Lisa Tesler At the beginning of June, my mom and I headed up to the Tahoe area to participate in Spring Fungi of the Sierra Nevada . This is a 5-day mycology course designed for absolute beginners and experienced mycophiles alike. Snowbank fungi are endemic to the high-elevation coniferous forests of western North America, where short, cold summers allow snowbank remnants to linger into August. To help others learn about these interesting species, the renowned mycologist Dr. Harry D. Thiers created this course in 1982. Over the years, other instuctors have included Dr. Roy Halling , Dr. Andrew Methven , and Dr. Dennis E. Desjardin . As of 2017, Dr. Brian Perry has been leading the course. Dr. Perry maintains a detailed species list and grows it each year. So in lieu of a field report, here's a recap of what we experienced in this year's course. The Campus Setting Daily Activities Course Registration Final Comments The Campus Setting Sierra Nevada Field Campus sign. Photo by Lisa Tesler The academic setting is SF State's Sierra Nevada Field Campus, a semi-rustic outpost tucked off Highway 49 , along the North Yuba River in the Tahoe National Forest. Due to limited funding and historic preservation agreements, this campus' architecture sits somewhere between a 1970s research station and a U.S. Forest Service campground. In fact, a non-profit group, Friends of the SNFC , and the university are both seeking donations to improve student amenities and the facilities. ( More info below ) The campus center is a two-story wooden building, housing a single communal classroom downstairs, along with bathrooms and showers, and a dining hall upstairs. For this course, Dr. Perry (Brian) converted the classroom’s long tables into rows of temporary lab workstations. Each workstation included a compound microscope plus basic supplies (razor blade, forceps, slides, cover slips and lens wipes). Pairs of students also shared a dissecting scope and an assortment of diagnostic reagents. Our classmates included a few mother/daughter participants (like my mom and me), as well as couples and friends who had come up together. So the pairs formed quickly, and those who came solo synced up to form the remaining pairs. Other buildings on the property include housing for the campus director, teaching staff, etc., as well as forest-service-style showers and bathrooms at both ends of the campus for students who were camping. On-Site Lodging Tent photo from https://sierra.sfsu.edu/gallery-0 Most students rented large canvas-wall tents built on wooden platforms (which were apparently pretty comfortable), or pitched their own tents among the pines. Alternatively, some people slept in their own camper vans or trailers in the parking lot across the river. (For our own accessibility and health reasons, my mom and I opted to stay in Sierra City, about 10 minutes away.) Due to an aging bridge and limited budget for road maintenance, students who camped could drive to their tents to unload/load gear on the first and last day, but otherwise we were all asked to leave our cars in the main parking lot during the week. Food Options As this is bear country, the campus provided an industrial refrigerator in the dining hall for personal perishables, plus shelves for non-perishables. If you attend this course and opt in to camping on campus, please note that the kitchen was for staff only, and students were asked not to cook or have food in their tents. Campus chefs typically prepare one tasty main dish per meal (with variants for meat-eaters and vegetarians). When we were there, they offered stroganoff, Chilaquiles, Taco Tuesday, etc. and incorporated wild mushrooms as available. They also laid out self-service buffets for morning cereal, brown-bag lunches, and evening salads. Daily Activities We followed a regular daily schedule, with each activity building on what we had learned in the morning earlier in the week: Morning Lecture Daily Foray(s) Afternoon Lab Session Evening Talk Morning Lecture Each morning after breakfast, we gathered at 8:15am for a lecture in the dining hall. Dr. Brian Perry started the week with lectures on macro- and micro-morphological characteristics. As the week progressed, he shifted to beautiful slides covering the taxonomy of local Spring basidiomycetes and ascomycetes. (Heh--for my part, I spent most of that time taking notes on how Brian pronounced the Latin names--much to my mom’s amusement, along with her observations about California’s high school education system no longer requiring Latin...) Daily Foray(s) View of the Yuba River from the the Sierra Nevada Field Campus bridge. Photo by Lisa Tesler At around 10:30am each day, we packed up our lunches and baskets, and we headed outdoors. After a short walk across the Yuba River, we gathered in the parking lot, while enjoying the fresh air and a swarm of California Tortoiseshell butterflies. From there, we carpooled along Highway 49 to seek the types of fungi we had studied so far. Some participants were experienced snowbank mushroom foragers, and seemed to easily find interesting species left and right. Others initially found the hunting to be a little more challenging--especially if used to hunting for large edibles in areas where the mushrooms practically stand up and wave at you. With some time, everyone still found plenty to study for the class. On the first day, a fellow participant whom my mom befriended approached our car during a break, reverently holding a beautiful Spring King. “It’s the first porcini I’ve ever found, after all these years!” she bubbled. We congratulated her, and my mom asked if she was planning to prepare a special meal with it. “I’m going to donate it to the campus kitchen, so everyone can enjoy it!” she replied with delight and generosity. Another delightful foray location was at around 7,000 feet, where the air was cooler, and the mosquitoes were still blessedly dormant. Hunting here was familiar and yet different (compared to our typical FFSC forays). For this hunt, we started by looking for patches of snow. Then, with sunglasses and face masks on for sun protection, we carefully peered under and around the melting edges of the snowbanks. Note: One passerby was clearly baffled to see people surrounding snowbanks near the road, each of us hunched over, squatting, or nearly lying down amongst broken logs and rocks. In this habitat, we found elegant mushrooms like the snowbank fairy helmet ( Mycena overholtsii ). This is a paradoxical giant among the usually tiny mycenoids, growing up to 6 inches tall, with caps over 2 inches wide. Like other snowbank fungi, their fruiting bodies are just warm enough to melt small caverns in the snow, allowing them to grow tall until they break through the surface (or the snow melts away) to release their spores. The snowmelt also created an ideal habitat for spring orange peel fungi ( Caloscypha fulgens ), black snowbank cups ( Donadinia nigella ), and other beauties. On another foray, we visited a wide open area at around 5,000 feet, where we found more black snowbank cups, along with bird’s nest fungi, and more. One day after lunch, some people began a little show-and-tell and “what is it?” with Brian and others. My mom took the opportunity to rest, so in the last few minutes before we left the area, I strolled back to revisit some trees where I had seen a couple of large, decomposing porcini, but I still didn’t find any others. Basket with Porcini ( Boletus rex-veris ) That is, of course, until I experienced the classic foray trope: On the way back to my car, right smack in the middle of the area where 20 other students had just been hunting for over an hour, three robust porcini caps peeked out at me from under pine needle ‘shrumps, like sleepy foreheads emerging from blankets after a long winter slumber. With strategic mercy, Brian saved the wettest and most mosquito-choked habitats for Thursday, our last day of foraging. Some of the rarer high Sierra species only grow in marsh grasses or tucked into soaked logs, so upon arriving at this soggy location, students donned sandals and/or rubber boots—and a lot of mosquito repellent—to see if they could find some rarities. My mom and I didn’t find any of the rare specimens, but we were at least pleasantly rewarded with other enjoyable species. The group forays typically ended at around 2pm, giving everyone time to hunt at their own secret spots, rest/shower, or get ice cream at the Bassett’s Station Store. (My mom reported that the ice cream was very good.) At 3pm, we reconvened in the coolness of the lab. Afternoon Lab Session On our first afternoon in the lab, Brian briefly reviewed the morphological characteristics of basidiomycetes. Assistant instructor Taye Bright made sure everyone had at least one mushroom of the same species, and then they led us through a traditional group ID session. We used a set of dichotomous keys which Brian and Dennis Desjardin had developed for the course. (If you’re not familiar with dichotomous keys, think of an eye exam where you are asked to choose “A or B?”, and then each answer takes you to the next “A or B” question until you drill down to the species.) Next, we used our microscopes to look at the mushroom’s spores, to ensure everyone was able to see the same shapes. On Tuesday, we reviewed how to study more complex microscopic features, and Taye walked us through another ID session as a group. From then on, each of us began to work at our own pace in the lab—given that some students were professional biologists, and others were microscopy newbies. Several course alumni and guest advisors joined the sessions for the first few days, including Mike Woods , Douglas Smith , Dr. Andrew Wilson , and others. Thus, those of us who were new to microscopy (or who hadn’t touched a microscope since high school) got plenty of one-on-one help. They showed us (or in some cases re-showed us) how to prepare a basic squash mount, operate the microscope, understand which parts of different specimens to dissect, etc. Note : If you’ve attended this course in the past, Dr. Perry said alumni are welcome and encouraged to come back as guest advisors. You can join the forays, assist students in the lab, and sit in on lectures. Evening Talks (and Final Exam Day) After dinner each evening, students could attend optional evening talks, gather around picnic tables to socialize, or do their own thing. This year's speakers were Brian, Dr. Andrew Wilson , and campus Director Lynx Gallagher. In addition, J.R. Blair led an evening trip to go birding in the Sierra Valley. Tortoiseshell butterfly taking the final exam? Photo by Niecea Freeman On Friday morning, the instructors set out several specimens on those same picnic tables, with test questions as a final exam. (This was an open-book test, mostly for ourselves.) By Friday, my mom and I were mentally and physically exhausted, but happy about what we’d learned. Despite being tired on the drive home, we couldn’t resist stopping a few times to explore potential foray areas. “Let’s just look for 5 minutes…” we’d say, and then of course we’d poke around for 20 minutes. Knowing we still had a long drive back to the Monterey Bay Area, we finally agreed “This is the last spot!” The elevation was lower and the ground was pretty dry by then. We only found the remains of one morel, some Dyer's polypore ( Phaeolus schweinitzii ), and not much else. “Time to go,” said mom. But then, once again, while walking back toward the car, I noticed a clearing where the sun lit a pile of pine needles on an odd-looking rock. “Hmm… Is that a rock, or could it be a ‘shrump?” I wondered, and detoured over. Sure enough, another three porcini!! A tasty end to a long week. Boletus rex-veris on the way home. Photo by Lisa Tesler Course Registration Speaking of porcini, this year the course registration fee was $395 (plus meals and camping fees). Given the price of fresh morels and porcini at my local fine foods store, the edibles we found on this trip were probably worth about the same as the class fee! Even if you don’t look at the pricing that way, many commercial half-day and weekend ID classes range from $100-$150 per day and only have enough time to cover a fraction of this course’s depth. SNFC classes are treated like part of an extension program, which means you don’t need to be a matriculated student at SF State (or anywhere else) to take this course. In fact, this year’s cohort ranged from teenagers to octogenarians, and beginners to biologists. It should be noted that this course may be canceled if conditions are overly dry (as occurred in 2014 ). In fact, Brian normally co-leads a course with Alison Pollack the following week ( Myxomycetes of the Sierra Nevada ), but that course was canceled this year, due to inopportune conditions. Scholarship (and Donation) Options If you’re hesitant or unable to afford the $400 investment, I would encourage interested students and members to apply for an FFSC scholarship to cover (or at least offset) the fees. A non-profit group, Friends of the Sierra Nevada Field Campus , also offers scholarships for this course-and for any other SNFC courses and workshops. The Friends group also accepts tax-deductible donations . Over the years they've successfully funded many of the amenities that affect day-to-day campus life. Plus, the university is seeking larger donations to help fund infrastructure improvements to the bridge and buildings. Final Comments If you’re not interested in fungi that grow in the Sierra Nevada, there are many excellent courses in the Bay Area (including through FFSC ) that can teach you how to use dichotomous keys and/or how to use a microscope. That said, the length and depth of the Spring Fungi of the Sierra Nevada course (not to mention the lack of cellular, WiFi, and TV distractions) gives you a unique opportunity to focus (no pun intended) on your microscopy and ID skills. After you learn a skill, you get several more days of practice with attentive instructors and advisors in the room. They’ll answer your “Did I get this one right?” questions in real time, troubleshoot your squash mounts, and/or thumb through the keys alongside you to figure out why you went down an unexpected path. And it's a lot of fun! Where to Learn More about the Course In this YouTube video, Dr. Brian Perry gives an overview of what he covers in the course. You can read more about snowbank fungi in the Spring 2009 issue of Fungi Magazine : https://www.fungimag.com/spring-09-articles/13_Snow.pdf Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Spring Fungi of the Sierra Nevada, June 2013 Microscopy of Gilled Mushrooms Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Cookeina tricholoma (Mont.) Kuntze (2014, Yukatan). Photo by Yev Nyden Cookeina Kuntze Sprouting from Forest Litter in Quintana Roo Yevgeny Nyden Thank you Yev Nyden for contributing this exotic find from Quintana Roo, Mexico. Yev says he stumbled upon this peculiar looking mushroom while hiking Nohoch Mul temple in Coba. Enjoy! More about cup fungi in the genus Cookeina : Cookeina , Wikipedia Bristly Tropical Cup (Cookeina) , iNaturalist Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark III Focal L. 97mm Aperture f/4.0 Shutter Sp. 1/2s ISO 500 Flash Off Photo taken on November 26, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Santa Cruz is blessed with some of the finest foray habitat on the West Coast. Fungal enthusiasts, whether taxonomist, dye artisan or edible collector, can choose from hundreds of species available in the area. With this bounty so close at hand and popular, many intrepid FFSC members heed the call of far-away places as they venture away from the Central Coast. FFSC members adventure up and down the West Coast and to points farther afield as they participate in FFSC’s long-distance forays, private ad-hoc forays, and organized events with other mycological groups. FFSC's long-distance forays are usually 2- to 4-day group trips, and we stay at campgrounds or rustic cabins. We allocate at least one day for organized activities, such as a group meeting before we all go out to hunt, a delightful potluck dinner and mushroom ID assistance. Other activities vary per location and season. Before joining any foray, we ask that you review the Collection Ethics and Etiquette page and familiarize yourself with our Must-Know to Participate in Long-Distance Forays guidelines. Costs For most long-distance forays, the fee (if any) covers your accommodations. We may add a small surcharge to help the club defray our annual operational costs (insurance, etc.). Meals are bring-your-own and potluck, unless otherwise specified. These forays are organized and led by our club ministers, who are volunteers. You must be an FFSC member to sign up for and participate in our long-distance forays. (We also offer one-day local forays in the Santa Cruz area, for both members and non-members.) Popular Long Distance Forays Our long-distance foray calendar is subject to change each year depending on environmental factors (weather, fires, and what’s coming up) and the availability of group accommodations. Here are some of the forays we arrange most years. Subscribe to the FFSC Calendar or join our Contact FFSC to find out when registration opens for each trip. Albion Long Distance Forays Our Albion forays are weekend-long trips to the Mendocino area, where chanterelles, black trumpets, and more can be found. Event Overview 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. Event Overview Alaska Long Distance Foray Our Alaska Long Distance Foray is a joint event between the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz and Bill White's Alaska Sports Lodge on the banks of the Kenai River in Sterling Alaska. Event Overview 76 days to the event Albion I Long-Distance Foray, December 2026 Dec 04, 2026, 3:00 PM – Dec 06, 2026, 11:00 AM Albion Field Station, 34000 Albion St, Albion, CA 95410, USA Save the date for our December foray in Mendocino! Enjoy fruiting fungi, pleasant people, feast on fabulous foods, and refreshing rains. Buy Tickets Scheduled Long-Distance Forays Past Long-Distance Forays August 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM – September 6, 2026 at 11:00 AM Alaska Long-Distance Foray, September 2026 January 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM – January 25, 2026 at 11:00 AM Albion II Long-Distance Foray, January 2026 December 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM – December 14, 2025 at 11:00 AM Albion I Long-Distance Foray, December 2025 August 16, 2025 at 3:00 PM – August 23, 2025 at 11:00 AM 2025 Alaska Foray February 28, 2025 at 3:00 PM – March 3, 2025 at 11:00 AM 2025 Albion III Special Event - February January 17, 2025 at 3:00 PM – January 20, 2025 at 11:00 AM 2025 Albion II Foray, January | Guest Speaker: Chad Hyatt Load More Alaska Foray participants Long-Distance 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.

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

Double Your Lipitor Polenta Dennis Nolan brought this dish to the Wine & Mushroom Fest and it was outstanding! I tested the recipe, and it's the definition of comfort food. by Dennis Nolan Boletus edulis. © forage_cali (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 325193092) Method Prepare the Polenta In a heavy saucepan, combine the cream, 2 cups stock, 1 tsp. salt, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the polenta gradually, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens (about 2 minutes). Adjust the heat to a bare simmer, and use a wooden spoon to stir often until the polenta is thick, smooth and creamy, and it begins to release from the sides of the pan (about 15 minutes). Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until thoroughly combined. While preparing the topping, keep the polenta warm over low heat, stirring occasionally. (Warm the additional ¼ cup of stock and add as needed, to keep the polenta from getting dry.) Caramelize the Mushrooms Slice mushrooms ¼" to ½" thick. Leave smaller ones whole (or cut lengthwise). In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until oil shimmers and starts to smoke. Lay mushrooms flat in a single layer. If they don't all fit, divide into batches and repeat separately for each batch : Without stirring , let the mushrooms sizzle until they have caramelized to a deep brown on the bottom (about 2 minutes). Then, turn them over (one time only), and season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue to sear mushrooms over high heat without stirring for about 5 minutes. Remove first batch to a plate, add a little oil to the pan and repeat for next batch. After all batches are seared, combine back into the pan. Add the butter and stir in until it begins to melt and foam. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring regularly. Add the lemon juice and continue stirring until the liquid evaporates. Stir in the wine, and simmer until the the sauce reduces and the mushrooms are coated with the glaze (about 3 minutes). Add the parsley, stir, and remove the pan from heat. Assemble and Serve Brush oil into the bottom and sides of the serving platter or baking dish. Pour the polenta into the serving platter. Top with the caramelized mushrooms, and serve immediately. Recipe contributed: April 2008 Really, if you only have a few bites, it's not so extreme. Better to have a little bit of something really wonderful than a lot of mediocre food, right? Dennis was inspired by a recipe from the cookbook At Home with Michael Chiarello: Easy Entertaining , by celebrity chef Michael Chiarello of Tra Vigne in St. Helena. In the cookbook, the chef uses a pastry bag with a ½ tip to pipe about 1 Tbsp. of yellow polenta onto each of about 50(!) spoons, and then places about ½ tsp. of the mushroom mixture on top of each polenta serving. Each spoonful gets only a little bit of mushrooms, so they need to pack a punch, which is why it's important to be patient and caramelize the mushrooms well, without over-stirring. In Dennis' version, he serves white polenta in a single flat pan, and tops it with a layer of the caramelized mushrooms. Feel free to experiment, perhaps using ramekins for each guest. Objective: Side or first course Total Time: 30 to 40 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings Suggested Mushrooms: Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus subalbidus) Maitake (Grifola frondosa) Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris) Portobello/portabella, champignon, cremini, button (Agaricus bisporus) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients White Polenta 3 cups heavy cream 2 cups chicken stock, plus ¼ cup available Coarse, unrefined sea salt ½ tsp. nutmeg (freshly grated is best) 1 cup white polenta (or medium/coarse ground cornmeal) 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Mushroom Topping 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil ½ lb. mushrooms (e.g., porcini, chanterelle, and/or maitake*) Coarse, unrefined sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp. unsalted butter 1 tbsp. minced garlic ½ tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice ½ cup dry white wine 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley A 9"x13" baking dish or a large, shallow round serving platter (roughly 10" to 12" diameter with a slight lip) * Supplement with cremini as needed to make up the ½ lb. Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe

Monthly speaker showing features of a mushroom Monthly Speakers 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. Join us each month for an engaging evening of tasty treats, camaraderie, interesting fungal finds, and a fascinating talk! When & Where We meet on the third Tuesday of the month from September through May* at the Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange. Our Minister of Programs, Peter Mu, curates a lineup of fascinating speakers each month. Check out the schedule below, and watch videos of past talks at the bottom of this page. Visitors from the general public are welcome to join us at the social and for the talks, and to bring in any mushrooms that you've found! This is a great way to meet us and to find out why it's fun to join our club! Be sure to arrive early to enjoy tasty refreshments, courtesy of our Minister of Culinary Events, Chef Bob Wynn and the Culinary Committee. In between the social hour and the talk, we usually hold a brief meeting to share announcements and occasionally to vote on administrative topics. * Very few mushrooms fruit during the summer in the Santa Cruz area, so our club takes a break during the "off-season". In December, we gather for a holiday potluck in lieu of the monthly speaker and social. Event Price The talk and social are FREE for members and the general public, and no registration or club membership is required. Dinner with the Speaker Before the monthly gathering, attendees are welcome to join us for a casual dinner with the month's featured speaker at a local restaurant. These are "dutch treat" style get-togethers (i.e., order your own food and pay for your own meal). RSVP to any "Dinner with Speaker" you'd like to join, so we can reserve a seat for you. Meet Your Hosts Scheduled Monthly Speakers October 20, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM October 2026 Speaker | Maya Elson : Megafires, Floods and Fungi With the rise of catastrophic megafires and flooding, we look to fungi and other microbes as nature’s mediators between fire and water. Join FFSC in a discussion with Maya about how to organize and integrate inoculants into land tending practices, as well as how to contribute to community science. November 17, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM November 2026 Speaker | Save the Date : Details TBD Check back at the beginning of the season to learn about our November monthly speaker. January 19, 2027, 8:00 – 11:00 PM January 2027 Speaker | Save the Date : Details TBD Check back at the beginning of the season to learn about our November monthly speaker. February 16, 2027, 7:00 – 10:00 PM February 2027 Speaker | Bill Schoenbart : Deep dive on Medicinal Mushrooms Check back at the beginning of the season to learn about our November monthly speaker. Past Monthly Speakers September 15, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM September 2026 Speaker | Liv Fragiacomo : Organic Strawberries - Bio Alternatives to Plastic May 19, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM May 2026 Speaker | Dean Lyons : A Natural History of Gondwanaland Fungi April 21, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM April 2026 Speaker | Alissa Allen: Color, Craft & Connection: Mushroom Dyeing as a Practice of Presence & Renewal March 18, 2026, 6:00 – 8:00 PM Bonus March 2026 Speaker and Cooking Demo | Olga Tzogas: Mushrooms and Culture of Greece March 17, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM March 2026 Speaker | Damon Tighe : Bioluminescence and UV fluorescence in CA February 17, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM February 2026 Speaker | Harvey Feng : Mushrooms of Chongqing, China Load More Play Video Play Video 53:27 May 2026 General Meeting - with Dean Lyons New Zealand and South America were once part of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana. As these continents drifted apart, they developed their own ecologies, endemics and unique fungal species. This presentation explores the similarities, differences and beauty of these far southern forests. We explore biodiversity, ecology and evolution through imagery and natural history. About the Speaker: Dean Lyons is a naturalist, botanist, and mycologist from California who is passionate about ecology, biodiversity, and community science. He splits his time between botany fieldwork and mushroom collecting for the Fungal Diversity Survey (FUNDIS), with the majority of his work focused on the Sierra Nevada mountains. He is also a photographer and sees these art forms as powerful tools for science communication and education. He had been on fungal expeditions to New Zealand and South America and throughout the United States. Play Video Play Video 55:35 April 2026 General Meeting-Allisa Allen Color, Craft & Connection: Mushroom Dyeing as a Practice of Presence & Renewal When life feels like too much, the forest offers something quietly grounding. Join Alissa Allen to explore mushroom and lichen dyeing as a practice of presence, color, and connection. Play Video Play Video 18:46 April 2025 General Meeting- Reagan Peschke: Pt 2 "Novel Discoveries in Santa Cruz County" Fungal Curation and Novel Discoveries in Santa Cruz County Watch part 2 of Reagan's Talk It will showcase several of Reagan’s observations from the past year that had never been recorded in Santa Cruz country. Reagan Peschke is a naturalist and undergraduate at UCSC studying creative writing. Before moving to Santa Cruz, Reagan had almost no exposure to the world of fungi. But during her first winter on campus in 2023, she couldn’t resist taking photos of the colorful waxy caps on the paths between her classes. What started as an interest in photography blossomed into a deep, all-consuming passion for studying, documenting and collecting fungi. Over the past year and a half, Reagan has made nearly 5,000 observations of fungi. She started her own fungarium with more than 600 vouchered samples from across the United States. Reagan leads an internship at the UCSC Kenneth S. Norris Center where she oversees the management of thousands of fungal specimens and she teaches students how to curate fungi. She was also a teaching assistant for the Natural History of Fungi at UCSC led by Christian Schwarz. When she’s not in the field collecting fungi or giving guest lectures, she’s helping people identify mushrooms on platforms like iNaturalist. Reagan hopes to explore the intersection between her passions for writing and fungi by becoming a scientific communicator and publishing field guides. Play Video Play Video 01:18:26 March 2025 General Meeting - Brian Perry “Working with Microscope to Observe and ID Fungi" Working with Microscope to Observe and ID Fungi Working with a microscope to observe and identify fungi is both an art and a science, requiring patience, precision, and a keen eye for detail. By preparing fresh or dried specimens, mounting them on slides with appropriate stains or reagents, and carefully adjusting magnification and lighting, one can reveal the intricate structures that define fungal species—such as spores, hyphae, cystidia, and basidia. Understanding these microscopic features is crucial for accurate identification, often differentiating species that appear nearly identical to the naked eye. With experience, the process becomes a rewarding exploration, unveiling the hidden beauty and complexity of the fungal world. Dr. Brian A. Perry is a Professor of Biology at California State University East Bay, and Director of the HAY Fungarium. He received his Master's Degree from San Francisco State University under the guidance of Dr. Dennis E. Desjardin, and his Ph.D. from Harvard University where he studied with Dr. Donald H. Pfister. Brian has been studying fungi since 1995, and has published over 45 papers in scientific journals. In addition to studying the evolution of fungal bioluminescence, he also conducts research on mushrooms and other fungi of Vanuatu, the assembly and biogeography of island fungal communities, endophytic fungi, and the systematics of Mycena and allied genera. Brian teaches several mycology courses at Cal State East Bay and the Sierra Nevada Field Campus. Video Gallery of Past Monthly Speakers

News & Stories / Writings Are You a Real Mushroomer? Following is a guide to determine whether you are really on the path for advancement in the elite society of "Real Mushroomers"—or just a wannabe. Ron Meyers & Bob Roseberry (KVMS) • February 1, 2001 Chlorophyllum olivieri trio. © dindelion (CC-BY-NC) (inaturalist.org, obs. 330540614) Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts My Mushroom Obsession: The First Thirty Days of a New Life Writings Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Past FFSC Events Revisit what we've been doing for the past few years. (Looking for even older events? Check out our FFSC Events Archive .) Clathrus ruber. Photo by Anne Elvin Related Info Upcoming Events Events Archive News & Stories Field Reports September 15, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM September 2026 Speaker | Liv Fragiacomo : Organic Strawberries - Bio Alternatives to Plastic August 29, 2026, 3:00 PM – September 6, 2026, 11:00 AM Alaska Long-Distance Foray, September 2026 May 19, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM May 2026 Speaker | Dean Lyons : A Natural History of Gondwanaland Fungi May 19, 2026, 5:00 – 6:00 PM Dinner with Speaker | Dean Lyons May 16, 2026, 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM 2026 Beer and Mushrooms Picnic May 1, 2026, 5:30 – 8:30 PM Fermentation Workshop, May 2026 April 21, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM April 2026 Speaker | Alissa Allen: Color, Craft & Connection: Mushroom Dyeing as a Practice of Presence & Renewal April 21, 2026, 5:00 – 6:00 PM Dinner with Speaker | Alissa Allen: Lillian's Italian Kitchen April 14, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM April 2026 Ministers Meeting and potluck April 11, 2026, 5:30 – 8:30 PM 2026 Wine and Mushroom Fest March 18, 2026, 6:00 – 8:00 PM Bonus March 2026 Speaker and Cooking Demo | Olga Tzogas: Mushrooms and Culture of Greece March 17, 2026, 6:00 – 9:00 PM March 2026 Speaker | Damon Tighe : Bioluminescence and UV fluorescence in CA Load More

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News Getting Into Inocybe I've recently taken on the study of the genus Inocybe . They’re little mushrooms, often with white gills that eventually go brownish. This began because my inability to identify the many species I find irritates me. John Brown • January 1, 2005 Inocybe sensu latu. © Douglas Smith (from mushroomobserver.org) One of the perks I've gotten from the study is that I'm really finding unidentified species, and I'm good enough at the genus that I have a fair confidence in my work. And let me tell you, a picture is worth a thousand words. I've got word and drawing descriptions of many different species of Inocybe , but Fungi of Switzerland includes color photos. You can match it to macro and microscopic features, but there's nothing quite so rewarding as then being able to look at the photo and know you're close. If you'd like to know a bit more about Inocybe , the name means "fiber head", and the most common variety, sororia , easily fits that picture. More often, the caps are radially fibrillose to squamulose (larger fibrils). Sometimes there's a velipellis, which is like a universal veil, except that it leaves nothing at the base of the stipe, and usually disappears as the mushroom ages. At times the outer layer of the cap abrades away: it excoriates. The spores are some shade of brown to almost black. I didn't look at it this way when I started my study, but my feeling now is that if you really want to know mushrooms, study a genus. It gives focus to your work, and you'll learn a great deal about mycology. Should you gather something that you think may be Inocybe prior to the general meeting or the ID class, please bring it in. I'll want to know its habitat: such as tree(s) found near, was it in open ground away from trees, was it in grass or on wood? And where did you find it, such as: north Santa Cruz County, on a hillside; or under tanoak near madrone. Thanks, - John Brown, Science Minister Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Why Study a Genus? Mycology & Art News D.I.Y. Mycoblitz Mycology & Art News Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Craterellus Spread This spread is a great hors d'ouvre, and quick to make. by Marje Young Craterellus calicornucopioides. © Kris Fleming (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 332810058) Method Chop and sauté black trumpets in butter. Mix with softened cream cheese, onion, garlic and thyme. Refrigerate. Serve with crackers. Recipe contributed: October 1996 Objective: Appetizer Total Time: 15-30 mins Yield: Varies Suggested Mushrooms: Black trumpet / black chanterelle (Craterellus atrocinereus, Craterellus calicornucopioides, Craterellus cinereus) Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content. Join FFSC Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content. Login Ingredients 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese 1 cup black trumpets 1 clove garlic. pressed 1 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. onion, finely minced 1/4 tsp. thyme Previous Recipe All Recipes Next Recipe