2017 March General Meeting: Douglas Smith - “Sympathy for the tiny guys” (by Phil and Margaret Carpenter)

Please join us for our General Meeting at the Harvey West Scout House.  Doors open at 7, with refreshments and informal mushroom ID from 7:00 - 7:30. A discussion of upcoming events will precede our speaker, Douglas Smith.

Douglas will talk about the tiny and small neglected mushrooms that exist in his talk: “Sympathy for the tiny guys”.  Mushrooms forays and fairs often focus on large and attractive mushrooms, mostly with a focus on edibility, and the ability to survive for days on display.  But the vast majority of diversity in the fungal kingdom are small to tiny mushrooms, which often go unnoticed.  This talk will be a quick survey of what is out there, for mushrooms that are 2cm or less in size, with focus on colorful, and strange examples.  Hopefully this might inspire people to stop and try getting on their hands and knees once in awhile to see what is out there.

Douglas Smith has been involved in mycology for many years, looking for and photographing mushrooms on several continents.  His photographs have been featured in many field guides, journals, and magazines, such as National Geographic.  A constant figure in the Bay Area mycology scene, he is an expert in many fungus fairs, and organized forays.