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

Must-Know to Participate in Long-Distance Forays Please review these tips before participating in our long-distance forays. Amanita muscaria on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Photo by Ron Bader FFSC Long Distance forays are open to FFSC members only. All trips require appropriate physical conditioning. If you have special medical requirements or any condition that might affect your ability to participate in the trip, it is your responsibility to inform the trip leader before departure. If you must cancel a reservation, inform the leader promptly. The deposit or reservation requirements and refund policy of each trip are available from the trip leader. Please obtain and review them prior to making your deposit or reservation. Please note that the leaders of our trips are FFSC members who serve in a volunteer capacity and assume no responsibility above that of trip organizer. While our trip leaders are not paid professionals, they are encouraged to participate in training to increase their mushroom ID and mycology skills. All outings officially begin at the trailhead. Planning for Your Trip Remember to verify any listed dates with the trip coordinator before you make long-range vacation plans. Sometimes dates initially selected have to be changed. The payment of a reservation or a deposit does not necessarily confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After you register for a trip, the leader will notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner. The trip cost normally covers lodging, camping and park fees, and club administrative overhead. The trip leaders are volunteers. Food and camping gear are to be supplied by the participants. Please note that when trip prices are listed before tickets become available, the prices may be tentative. You should understand that activities on this trip (or any trip of this nature) contain inherent risks, including injury, illness, and potentially death. Those who participate in forays assume all of the risks and will hold the FFSC, its agents, and leaders harmless from any and all responsibility, negligence, actions, or suits of any kind or nature whatsoever, for loss or damage to property or personal injuries sustained during these outings. The Foray Ministers, a volunteer committee that governs the Long Distance Forays program, regrets the need for this requirement. Participants make their own carpooling arrangements if desired. Generally a note posted on the FFSC Google Group is effective. FFSC does not provide insurance for carpooling arrangements and assumes no liability for them. Carpooling, ride sharing or any similar activity is strictly a private arrangement among the participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

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

News & Stories / Writings Memories of Matsutake I grew up picking matsutake in the pacific northwest with my dad. We joined the first chapter of the Puget Sound Mycological Society and would go on field trips. It is one of my most precious memories and in the Northwest. The whole Japanese community buzzes with matsutake talk in the fall. Wendy Tokuda • March 3, 2016 Tricholoma murrillianum (magnivelare) (matsutake). Photo by Hugh Smith I was struck when I visited Mendocino for the first time because so much of the vegetation there was simliar to the Northwest and felt like it would be good for matsutake. In the Northwest the host plants are blue huckleberry, salal, and doug fir. In California, I'm having to learn about the strikingly different host plants for mushrooms I grew up picking. My mom wrote an essay about them, reprinted below. Memories of Matsutake (September, 1983) Indian summer brings some golden weather but the air has a sharp edge. There is frost on the grass some mornings and windshields have to be scraped. Now is when the Japanese community in Seattle perks up it ears for the first reports of the pine mushroom "matsutake". Thus begins the annual ritual of autumn. "Hear Yamamoto got some matsutake from someone. Must have come from Rainier area. It's only the middle of September.", George says when he comes home from visiting a neighbor. "Oh", I reply but I think to myself that now he won't be able to stay still. Is it going to be this coming weekend? No, we're retired so we can beat the crowd by going Thursday perhaps. "Let's take a run out there since the weather's so nice anyways, " he says. Anyone else?" I ask. "I'll call Bob and John, " he replies. Wednesday night I make some rice balls and teriyaki chicken, and George gets his hiking sticks, compass, and a cotton sack for carrying the mushrooms. Thursday morning, Bob and John come by at 7, old men but they are grinning like little boys that know something. Bob's driving, and we load our gear in his old Buick truck and climb into the back seat. "Too bad it didn't rain a little more last week. I think it's been too dry. We'll try Crystal Spring, they come out early there." "You going to take us to your secret spot this year?" George asks Bob. "No use taking secrets like that to the grave." "I'm taking them," says Bob. They start talking about a neighbor that had a stroke a few days ago. It used to be that so and so's wife ran off with someone or see that new barmaid at Bush, but lately it's talk and isn't so cheerful. Yet I don't feel as upset as I used to get about people getting sick or dying. I guess there isn't time to waste on feeling sorry for those who drop dead when I feel like I dodging bullets myself. George has snuggled into the corner of the seat and is dozing off. I feel it's not fair to sleep when Bob has to drive. "How come Mary didn't come?" "Someone has to work. She's watching the shop today." I forgot that not everyone has retired. "Too bad" I say but already I'm yawning and feeling warm. I try valiantly to go on. "How's your daughter getting along with the new baby?" Bob starts to describe the baby boy, how it looks Japanese one day and Jewish the next, but then despite all my efforts I fall asleep. The car jolts to a stop and both George and I wake up. We seem to have arrived someplace. I glance at my watch and discover it's been an hour and half ride. "Remember this place?" John says. I look out to see a huge mountainside of tree stumps. "Where are we?" I ask. "It's by Blueberry Creek." That beautiful forest and all those mushrooms reduced to an expanse of sawed off stumps. We are silent. Every year some former haunt disappears and a familiar place we're looking for is wiped out. Over and over, to become old is to find ourselves strangers in our own world. "We're not getting any matsutake here." says Bob and he starts up the car. We drive on some bumpy roads by so many beautiful creeks and forests and every place looks good, like it might be a spot we ought to stop and explore. Suddenly John says, "Hold it. I remember this place. Just a little ways in, I know a place." We tumble out of the car, stiff after nearly two hours of riding. I feel for my compass and whistle in my pocket. Bob has opened the car trunk and we grab our walking sticks and bags. I brought a little basket so the mushrooms won't get ground together with the dirt. The men start drinking tea and I have just a sip, holding back because thre are no bathrooms in the forest and I'm with three men. Bob bangs the trunk door down and John is already in the woods. I can see his orange knit cap bobbing up and down as he hurries toward some spot. George holds back to wait for me and he shouts to the other two, "let's meet back here in an hour and a half". We start trudging toward the forest, stepping over bushes and I think about Christmas. I must have stepped on some fir and it's fragrance of the holidays floating through the woods. The brush on the edge of the woods disappears and it's easy walking now. I try to keep up with George as he tramps ahead of me. Already he has forgotten me and his head is down looking for signs of matsutake, trying not to miss any suspicious white cracks in the ground. My vision is always half of his back as the idea of being lost in the woods terrifies me and it's the sight of the trees, the woods, the feeling of being embraced in the world of nature that I seek. Once again I feel at home under the quiet trees, apart from the crush of human entanglements. I press on the outside world drops away. There is only the occasional crack of twigs, the sudden scurrying of a chipmunk, the flash of a bird in flight. George and I are as we were when we first met. I follow in silence and we are suddenly in a clear space covered with bright green moss. Over the moss grows some little white mushrooms. Their caps are white, light, and small. Their thin stems are almost invisible. I feel a sensation of floating. These mushrooms seem to be suspended, motionless, and I understand why fairies are associated with these delicate ethereal mushrooms. I stand for a moment and stare at the lovely sight. I wish my children and parents were here with me now. Eventually the children will enjoy the same trip, some day, but alas, these joys are no longer for my parents. It was on a long ago October day when the autumn skies were gloriously blue and clear like today when I saw Dad for the last time. George had gone mushrooming the day before and I took two matsutake for him. His wrinkled brown face was all smiles, his eyes brightened and I could feel worlds of past memories unfoling in his mind. "George went to the Cascades yesterday," I said and then rushed outside to pursue some errand. As I started driving off, I saw him waving goodbye from the window. That turned out to be the last time I saw him alive. Mom called about 5 o'clock that day and said Dad hadn't returned. After I left them he had taken one of the two matsutake or perhaps the beautiful day must have pushed him on to visit other friends. He walked further and further, finally taking the bus to the Public Market where a friend had a flower stall. Was he bidding farewell to every one? He boarded a bus in the 5 o'clock downtown rush and suffered a heart attack. Do we pick a time to go? I think he did. Tricholoma magnivelare (matsutake) Suddenly as I stand mezmerized by the floating mushroom caps, I see something and I can't believe it. Near my feet there is a crack in the mossy floor and I see that something white is showing under the moss. I hurriedly lift the dirt and moss, and there is a matsutake. The fragrance is unmistakeable as I use the pick of my walking stick to dig it out. I lay it on the green moss and see that this stem is a good inch and a half in diameter and the white shaggy cap, not fully opened, hugs the stem. The first matsutake of the season. It's like seeing an old friend. No other picked or seen later in the season will be as wonderful. Suddenly, I feel alone and I call out for George. There is no answer. I look up and the gently swaying tops of the trees merge together layer after layer into the distance. It is like staring into deep waters. I fumble around for my whistle and realize my throat is dry. I blow frantically so that anyone for miles around can surely hear me but there is no answer. I put the mushroom in my basket and tell myself to stay calm. I take out my compass but realize I hadn't taken a reading on the way in. If only I hadn't stopped. Knowing George's relentless speed I should have kept up with him. I decide to stay put and keep blowing my whistle. Finally I hear a whistle responding but I can't tell which direction it's coming from. "George, George," I keep screaming, repeating, determined not to lose his response. Suddenly I can fathom the direction and I shout, "Don't move," and start trudging in that direction hanging on to my basket and stick. After an interminable mad scramble I catch sight of his red Scottish beret. "Were you lost?" he asks. He hadn't really missed me. "Got one, huh?. That's a beauty," he says. I want to explain to him the terror I had just experienced but he seems to be in a world of his own. Besides there is no time because he starts pushing ahead, always running this way and that to follow up on all the little clues that seem to beckon him from all over the forest floor. I have my one, and I now feel my only interest is not to get lost. It's the first time I got one before he did and I realize his eyesight isn't as sharp as it used to be. He used to have 20/20 vision but lately he's been thinking of getting glasses. Still his mushroom sense is sharp, he seems to smell them out, and my the time this trip is over he'll have far more than I do. He always does. Sure enough at that moment he's stooped down and he's yelling for me to hurry. Climbing over a few logs I reach him by the base of a tree and he's found three, no, it turns out to be five as he uproots the first few. "Only reason I saw it, the deer had eaten the cap off of one and it was sitting there completely exposed." He dusts off the brown needles and the bits of dirt. How different from the old days when he just threw it into the bag, dirt and all, rotten ones and all. Now he admires them, each one, takes time to clean it. Then he pats the dirt down over the disrupted ground and we start out again. "Its going to be a good year, " he says and I notice there are all sorts showing here and there. There are the shiny little orange cups in a line running over the logs. There are the purple ones and those that look like toasted rounds of bread. The brown velvet caps that remind me of animal backs. Once in a while I skirt around bear and deer droppings, reminding me that we humans are not alone. Sometimes I actually catch the scent of deer but I don't recall ever running into one. They must hear us lumbering through the woods from long distances away. I glance at my watch and tell George it's time to start back. "Just that little spot over that log," he says. Sometimes it's harder to get George out of the woods than to find the matsutake. "No, let's give ourselves at least twenty minutes to find our way back. You know how you hate it when others don't get back in time." So reluctantly he pulls out his compass and we start our trek back. But all the while we are trudging his eyes keep scouting all over the ground and indeed he does find a few. "Isn't it funny you walk over the same path and you always find some you missed." I agree but I don't find anymore. When we return, Bob and John are already waiting. The truck is open and they are looking for lunch and beer. I look for the tea and see their matsutake spread out in 2 separate wooden crates, carefully arranged on fresh fir boughs. There are seven in one and three in the other. George and I arrange ours in a box together. There are ten, my one and his nine, some only as big as a thumb. "George, I think it's mother must be crying for that one," I say, pointing to the little one. "Yeh, but look at this one," he says, picking one up that looks like it must weigh a quarter pound. "I found it next to the one eaten by deer." We all pause to admire it. The cap is shiny, as if sheer silk is drawn over it. Some sunlight must filter in, even into these dense woods to give a sheen to the slightly tan cap. The shaggy stem has bits of thick soft veil clinging to it. There are signs of rich black loam clinging to the upper part of the stem but the base is gray with dry dirt. The twisted stem gives the feeling it has struggled to rise out of the ground and triumphed. I sigh in wonder and George is smiling. Tricholoma murrillianum (magnivelare) (matsutake). Photo by Hugh Smith Everyone in the party has found matsutake, a rare and joyous event for a first trip of the season. Of course, we intend to take in a few more spots after a little rest. I think to myself, we all made it again. Together. How nice. I untie the white dishcloth wrapped around our lunch box and pass the rice balls to Bob, John and George. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Lost: The Companions View Writings Reality Check: Dispelling a Myth Writings Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Baby oyster mushrooms. Photo by Steve Olejniczak Baby Oyster Mushrooms Steve Olejniczak Found these cute baby Oyster mushrooms in the Santa Cruz Mts. in Nov. 2013. I used my old Olympus C4000. Camera Olympus C4000Z Focal L. 7mm Aperture f/11.0 Shutter Sp. 1/300s ISO 100 Flash Fired Photo taken on November 2, 2013 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Photography for ID Purposes When you can't bring in actual mushrooms for our taxonomists to ID, shown below are some tips on photographs and observations to send us, which will help the identifier answer your "what is this" question. Clitocybe odora. Photo by Christian Schwarz Perhaps you’ve noticed some mushrooms growing in your yard, or while you were on a hike? Maybe you were foraging for chanterelles and ended up with a few mystery mushrooms in your basket? Whatever you’ve found, our taxonomists will be happy to help you identify them, where possible. In the past few years, instead of bringing specimens to us in person, a growing number of people are taking cell phone photos for the purposes of mushroom identification. In general, it's more difficult for us to identify mushrooms solely from photographs. Often the taste, odor, staining reactions, tactile and/or other features and tests (as well as habitat details not visible in close-up photos) are often needed to correctly identify many species. Here are tips on how to take photographs for mushroom ID purposes, as well as observations to include with your photos. (These observations are also helpful when you bring certain specimens to us in person!) Photographs to Take in the Field When you first see a mushroom in the wild, even before you dig up the mushroom (or if you're in an area that doesn't permit collection), here are a few photos and observations to capture. Note: Your photos don't need to be beautiful. For identification, the more details we can see, the easier it will be for our taxonomists to identify distinguishing features. It may help if you support your camera on a tripod or a rock, or brace your body against something solid. Consider using a flash or a flashlight to illuminate darker areas if possible (without blowing out the image). Show Us the Habitat Many mushrooms grow on or near specific trees or plants, at certain elevations, in certain temperatures, etc., or they tend to fruit at the same time as certain other plants. Take a few photos of what the mushroom is growing on, and the immediate area surrounding the mushroom(s), such as: The leaves, twigs, grass or dirt immediately surrounding it, or the log or tree (or leaf or bug) it's growing on Nearby trees (including burned or charred trees) One or two photos of the broader habitat, such as trees and plants in the general area Examples of immediately surrounding and broader habitat Try to photograph multiple examples of the same mushroom species that are nearby (or look-alikes if you're not sure). Show different age groups (some old-looking ones, some young-looking ones, etc.) Show us nearby mushrooms that seem similar, of different sizes If you're in the area for a few days, another option is to photograph the same mushroom(s) over time to show how it ages. Examples of the same mushrooms photographed over time Show Us Different Angles If you can't collect the mushroom, take close-up photos of it, and then move your camera to get shots of different sides of the mushroom. Set your camera on the ground to get low angles too. This helps our taxonomists examine the underside of the cap and the features of the stem. Low angles help the taxonomists see cap and stem features Show Us the Entire Mushroom If the area permits collection, dig up a specimen of the mushroom so that you can take photos of the entire mushroom. Take close-up photos (as clear/sharp as you can) showing: The whole top of the mushroom cap The bottom (underside) of the cap. Features of the stem, including the very bottom of the stem. Scratch or cut through the cap, to see if there are any color changes, and photograph what you see. Show Us the Mushroom's Size To help the identifier understand the size or dimensions of the mushroom, you can include another object, such as nearby pine needles, your shoe (keep it on), hand or fingers, or anything (or anyone) else with a recognizable size near the mushroom. (This can be done in the field or after collecting the specimen.) Photos that convey the relative size of a mushroom Observations to Include with Your Photos Many county and government-managed parks and forests do not permit mushroom collection, or you'll need to buy a collecting permit. Be sure to check the location's policies before digging up any mushrooms. Take Detailed Notes If you're not able to collect a specimen (or it won't survive until you're able to bring it in), write down (or photograph) the following details while in the field, and include them when you send in your mushroom photos: The habitat where your mushroom is growing. Is the mushroom on wood or the ground? If on wood, what kind? What tree species is it growing on (or what’s nearby)? (Nowadays many naturalist apps, websites, and even your phone's AI can help you identify trees based on their leaves.) Write down any distinctive aroma you notice while the mushroom is fresh – “mushroomy” is NOT a good descriptor! Create a spore print if time permits. It's easy! The sooner you can start the process, the better. See Part III of our free Learn about Wild Mushroom Identification tutorial for how to create a spore print, or search the Internet for similar tips. Do not eat an unidentified mushroom. If a mushroom ID specialist asks you to taste a mushroom to help them ID it remotely, just take a tiny bite and then spit it out and do not swallow any of it. Some people also prefer to rinse their mouth after tasting a mushroom for ID purposes. Bring Specimens in Person if Possible The most reliable way for our advisors to identify a mushroom is to see, touch, smell, and potentially taste it in person. If you’re coming to an FFSC event in person, we recommend that you store your specimens in a loose, breathable container, such as paper or wax paper bags (not plastic or glassine bags). You can place them on an ID table in a wicker basket, cardboard egg crate, or on a paper plate. People often bring specimens to our Monthly Speaker events , which are free and open to the public, and to our annual Santa Cruz Fungus Fair in January. Photos of specimens in baskets, on paper, et. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

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News & Stories / Fair News 2023 Outdoor and Virtual Fungus Fair Once more we will not be doing our normal fair at the London Nelson Community Center. Instead we will do a series of local forays with culinary events, Zoom talks, and an iNaturalist project during January 2023, similar to the event we held in 2022. All of these events will be open to FFSC club members and the general public. Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Committee • December 19, 2022 Outdoor Fair Local Forays - Sold out We will offer a series of guided local forays on the weekends of January 7,8 and 14,15. These forays will be led by local mycologists and will have the goal of identifying and learning about our local fungi in their natural habitat. After each foray, our culinary committee volunteers will prepare a tailgate style tasting of incredible mushroom dishes while we discuss the days finds. We will try to keep the group sizes small in order to allow a more personal interaction with our leaders and for covid safety. These will be outdoor events, so be prepared for wet and cold weather and some walking to see our mushroom habitat. The price to attend the walks will be $10 for adults, $5 for full time students and free for children under 12. We are suggesting that participants make a $5 donation if they will be sharing in the treats prepared by our culinary artists. Xerocomellus atropurpureus Mushroom Lecture Series During the week between the forays, Monday-Friday, January 9-13, we will be offering a series of discussions/talks on Zoom featuring talented mycologists covering a range of topics. This is an opportunity to hear about the exiting work of some great amateur and professional mycologists.The talks will also be live streamed to our Youtube channel for anyone unable to attend the Zoom. Tropical Mushroom Collage. Photo by Lauren Re iNaturalist Project During the forays citizen scientists will be encouraged to document what they see on iNaturalist. Observations will automatically be added to the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair – 2023 Mycoblitz Project on iNaturalist. In addition, th e general public are encouraged to record their own fungal observations in the Santa Cruz Mountains and surrounding area from January 1-15, 2023 for inclusion in the Mycoblitz. Visit the project page for more information. We hope that this modified format will provide an interesting, educational, fun, and safe event for the whole family, and that next year we can bring back the traditional fair, bigger and better than ever. 2023 Fungus Fair iNaturalist Mycoblitz Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts 40th Fungus Fair: Time lapse of the Island setup Fair News A Short History of the Fungus Fair Fair News Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News 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 Mycology & Art News Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / Writings Demise of the Duff “Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.” — Sydney J. Harris Deb • April 1, 2013 Albion Sunset Yes, changes are in the offing for the FFSC. Next month’s issue of Duff will be the last in an almost 30 year history. Starting with The Federation Flyer , morphing into Ascus and then Duff , the Fungus Federation has long communicated by newsletter. And it was always a process of change: typewritten postcards gave way to double-sided sheets, which then evolved to a printed newsletter with the advent of desktop publishing. Technology moved us a few steps further to a full-color digital downloaded Duff . We’ve really been in the avant-garde of change for an organization of our size and nature. Now our evolutionary process comes to the point where our information remains the same, for a while anyway, but delivery improves: in an effort to improve access to information in the club, we will be launching a new FFSC website starting in the Fall 2013 mushroom season. The new site will contain the same information you now look to the Duff for: calendar, upcoming speakers and events, photos and articles by members, as well as general myco-news, all posted on an ongoing basis rather than once a month. But it also gets better. The new site will contain a great deal more than the newsletter and old site combined. Video archives of past speakers and events, an ongoing member photo contest, Mushroom of the Month articles, recipe archives, downloadable calendar, field reports and a cultivation page are in the works. It promises to be a dynamic site. We’ve heard concerns about all this great intel being available on the web to all, member and non-member alike. No worries on that point, folks! Privileged information will be contained in the Members section of the website, providing value to those who have paid to be part of the club and support its continued operation. The world will not be reading our field reports. And please know that this process wasn’t meant to be opaque or mysterious — these things just take time and the work isn’t complete yet. Many thanks to Yev Nyden for all his hard work in making this happen! We anticipate unveiling the new version of the FFSC website in September, and will notify everyone by email and via the Google Group. We hope it helps keep the “fun” in fungi for all of us! Debbie Johnson, Minister of Propaganda FFSC Web Team Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Ending, Beginning Anew Writings Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Psathyrella sp. Photo by Peter Vahlberg Psathyrella sp. Peter Vahlberg Found at Sanborn County Park under a log. Camera Nikon D5600 Focal L. 60mm Aperture f/25.0 Shutter Sp. 1s ISO 400 Flash Off Photo taken on April 16, 2019 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

News & Stories / Mycology & Art News Chanterelle Look Alike Rewriting Evolutionary History This beautiful little mushroom isn't a mushroom at all. It is Dendrogramma enigmaticaI, a newly named organism from the deep seas near Australia and it may be rewriting evolutionary history. Well named...It is in fact an enigma! Cortinarius • September 2, 2014 Dendrogramma enigmaticaI (hosted on nationalgeographic.com). Photo by Jorgen Olesen Found in 1986 but only recently named, this deep sea organism can't be classed in known animal groups. It's relatives could have roamed the seas 540 million years ago. Now, biologists are scratching their heads over the little guy and wondering what it can tell us about evolutionary history. For more information visit: https://web.archive.org/web/20140904222855/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140903-evolution-animal-dendrogramma-mushroom-species-ocean/ Thank you Richard Rammer for this news post from National Geographic! Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts The Wood Wide Web (from the BBC) Mycology & Art News Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article