Hello all,
If you live in Southern California, then you might want to check your schedule, as the SDMS's annual Fungus Fair is this weekend at Balboa Park in San Diego.
The details, along with URLs for more info, are below.
Note: This promotion was my own idea, and was not sanctioned by the SDMS in any way. ....i.e. Blame me!
JD
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SDMS News
Fungus Fair Sunday Feb 20
10:30 am to 3:30 pm
Room 101 at the Casa Del Prado in Balboa Park.
Collect Mushrooms Saturday, Feb 19
Go to your own favorite locations around the county, check out county parks, or visit any locations that look like they might have some mushrooms. Bring your collections to the Casa Del Prado either Saturday evening after 5 pm, or Sunday morning before 10 am.
Voucher Slips
Voucher slips in .pdf and Excell format are available on the SDMS web site at SDMYCO.org. Click on Habit, and look for the link to the SDNHM Collection Project.
More Notes on Collecting Specimens for Display
When collecting specimens for the mushroom fair, remember that the purpose is to gather specimens for display, not for the pot or the study bench. Thus, bring in entire specimens, preferably with a few inches all around of the substrate. If it's easy to do, gather the specimen(s) with some of the soil and/or leaves, using a trowel or a sturdy knife. If the mushroom is growing on wood, bring all or part of the wood if possible. Bring in some of the duff where the mushroom is growing (oak leaves, pine needles, or whatever) to place under it on the display table.
Place each specimen in a container, taking care to preserve its natural beauty and looks. Plastic food containers work well if uncovered. You may want to cushion the mushroom with the duff to keep it from bouncing around.
Keep each species in a separate container, or place each in a separate small bag. This will help speed up the sorting for display, and minimize the amount of handling required. If you know the species, write it on the outside of the bag. Small waxed or brown paper lunch bags work well if the mushrooms are not too wet. Do not use plastic bags.
Unless they grow in bunches, do not collect more than a few specimens. Try to get specimens in different stages of development but avoid those that are too ripe to make it by fair time.
Handle the mushrooms as little as possible, and try not to damage or destroy features that are important to identification. It is best to handle the mushrooms by the edge of the cap rather than the stalk, because there are often fragile features on the stalk like scales, fibers, and veil remnants that help in identification.
Take along some paper and a pencil to make notes on where each species was found, what trees were nearby, and any other information that might help identify the mushroom.
Throughout, think display!
Volunteers are needed to help with setup Saturday from 5 pm and Sunday morning before 10 am.
You may join or leave this list at http://www.sdmyco.org/signup.html.
-------------------- Boyd Rice told my brother that life is a corny pack of freesakes Myco-tek.org
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