50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus Fair
Enter the World of Fungi!
Kingdom Fungi
3,000 – 4,000 species in California
Have fun learning in the field and in class
Meetings, Forays, Classes and Workshops
Fungiphile: an avid partisan of various things related to mushrooms and mycology
You just might be one…
Explore local mushrooms, both deadly and delicious, at the 50th Anniversary Santa Cruz Fungus Fair. View hundreds of regional species, have your mushroom finds identified, hear notable speakers, enjoy activities for kids young and old, visit our vendors, and sample delicious mushroomy treats during our three-day event.
Find out moreTo foster and expand, through education and by example, the understanding and appreciation of mycology and to assist the general public and related institutions to further this goal. And to always keep the “fun” in fungus!
Find out moreMushrooms fascinate us! We hunt for scientific interest and for the table, encouraging a sense of wonder regarding one of the least-understood segments of our environment. Monthly meetings, guided local and long-distance forays and identification classes.
LearnMushrooms: we find them all over. They are ubiquitous and mysterious, common and rare, delicious and sometimes deadly. Mushrooms are among the oldest living things on earth, and a significant theme and resource in almost every human culture over the past 10,000 years. Want to know more? You are already a fungiphile.
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To aid in promoting education we offer full and partial scholarships to members needing financial aid or who express a deep interest in mycology, and students pursuing an interest in fungi at various educational institutions.
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Phil Carpenter will be leading a series of Mushroom Identification classes. Please note that these classes are only open to current paid members. We will again hold the classes at the Natural History Museum on E. Cliff Dr. in Santa Cruz on the first and fourth Wednesday evenings of Feb. and March.The dates would therefore be Feb. 3, 24 and March 2, 23. The classes run 7-9 PM each of those dates. The classes are workshop, hands-on oriented with everyone working on identifying mushrooms brought to each session by attendees. We will be using the field guide, Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora as the class text. These classes are popular and fill up quickly so sign up soon if you would like to be included in the classes.
The specimens in this photo show somewhat faded specimens. Note the wavy caps and blue stains on the stipe. Spore deposit is dark purplish-gray to very dark reddish-brown.
Psilocybe is primary genus of hallucinogenic mushrooms, containing such famous species as Liberty Caps (P. semilanceata), Cubes (P. cubensis), and the topic of this month’s article, Wavy Caps (P. cyanescens).
Almost always encountered on woodchips, Psilocybe cyanescens is an aggressive ruderal species, fond of disturbance in urban areas. It is especially common in the cold, wet winter months around the San Francisco Bay. Through a combinatin of unintentional and intentional transplantation by humans and natural dispersal, it has spread widely throughout the United States. In California, it occurs at least as far south as San Diego County, although it is fairly rare south of Santa Cruz County.
(Reposted from posting on google groups with photos courtesy of Hugh Smith)
How about all this rain!
Those were a beautiful display of Honey Mushrooms, Hugh! Tight and turgid and just the right time to harvest.
Seeing them prompted me to write a few lines about Honeys not from any formal knowledge...but from my work experience and from 'experts' with whom I consulted for my clients in my work with trees. I hope it is helpful to some of you. I am not a scientist...just an observer.
All are subject to cancellation/possible location change
We will be foraging at the Marshall Fields, UCSC Natural Reserve area, and we are allowed to take mushrooms we find there
First light is the time to get lucky. Edulius in January?
Coccoras are one of my favorite mushrooms to see and collect. The distinctive colors, thick cottony cap and striation on the cap edge makes this amanita a little easier to id. If I am unsure at any point, it stays in the ground and I take away the memory, image and sometimes a photo.
Debbie Viess has a very informative link here on BAMMS web site which tells more about this species.
You can go here for Mushroom Observer.
Amanita Calyptroderma - Fall Coccora - tan to light brown
Aminita vernicoccora - Spring Coccora - light yellow
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