Agnes A. Sieger, Editor
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Tuesday, June 12, at 7:30PM in the Center for UrbanHorticulture, 3501 N.E. 41st Street, Seattle
Our speaker this month is JudyRoger, who recently gave the popular microscopy class to PSMS. Hertalk is entitled ``The Chanterelle Study: What We've Found After 15Years of Looking at Them.''
Judy began studying fungi underDr. Daniel Stuntz during, as she puts it, ``the last ice age.'' Shehas continued to study mushrooms over the years, with workshopswith ``Dr.Joe'' and others, making mushrooms a major focus in life. Sheis a longish-time member of PSMS, the Oregon Mycological Society,the North America Truffling Society, and the North AmericaMycological Association and is a charter member of the PacificNorthwest Key Council. She began helping on the OMS ChanterelleStudy in 1990 and replaced Lorelei Norvell as project leader in1992 when Lorelei began work on her Ph.D.
Would members with last namesbeginning with G -M please bring a plateof refreshments for the social hour.
CALENDAR
June 12 Membership meeting,7:30 PM, CUH
July 14 PSMS summer picnic,Shelter 5, Steward Park
August 20 Board meeting,7:30 PM, CUH BoardRoom
August 21 Spore Printsdeadline
Sept. 11 Membership meeting,7:30 PM, CUH
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Joanne Young
As you probably all now know,about 3:15 AM on May21, the Center forUrban Horticulture was burned in a presumed ``eco-terrorist''arson attack. Merrill Hall, with offices of CUH staff, researchprofessors, grad students, and the Master Gardeners, was almostcompletely destroyed. The CUH library was water damaged. It is atragedy. Several professors lost a lifetime of research andteaching records, including a history of the recovery of Mt. St.Helens. Ray Larsen lost all of his school work. Master Gardenerssaid they lost the results of thirty years of volunteer research,as well as a recent donation of rare books.
We were very lucky. A few feetaway from the blaze, Isaacson Hall, which houses the PSMS office,did not catch fire. At this writing we've not been able to enterthe building, but staff reports say that all of Isaacson Hall isfine.
Today teams from the FBI, Bureauof Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Seattle Police, and Seattle FireDepartment were investigating the blaze. I stopped by to check onour office, and was unable to get close. All of CUH was cordonedoff. Several television stations had cameras and reporters ready.The FBI wasn't talking, and had just pushed the media back about 15feet. Colin reported that the crime scene was expanded to includeIsaacson Hall.
Within a few hours of the newsreports, Bonnie Ecker, on behalf of the Snohomish CountyMycological Society, sent us an e-mail offering any help we mightneed. Leon Leigel and David Pliz from Oregon State University alsowrote to check on us. It's good to know that we have friends readyto help if we ever need it.
As the main meeting hall at CUHwas unharmed, our membership meeting on June 12 is expected tooccur as planned. If anything should change, we will put notice ofthe change on the PSMS members e-mail list and the office voicemail at (206) 522-6031.
I hope you all had a wonderfulseason, great luck with spring mushroom collecting, learned a lot,and had a fine time in the woods. Thanks to Brian Luther, SteveCurtice, Karin Mendell, Patrice Benson, Doug and Theresa Ward,Colin Meyer, Sara Clark, Russ Kurtz, and all the other field triphosts and identifiers who helped make our Spring collecting seasonso enjoyable. Also thanks to Dick Sieger for making sure we allknow how to change our pants in the woods¾ a vital skill.
June 12 will be our last monthlymeeting before the summer break. Luis Felix is planning our summerpicnic for Saturday, July 14. The next monthly meeting is September11. Until then, have a great summer!
APRILBOARD NEWS Agnes Sieger
All old board members introducedthemselves to the new board, and Joanne reviewed the basic processof board business.
Annual Exhibit Co-Chair KarinMendell distributed a list of exhibit committee chairs.Construction and publicity are major concerns since chairs have yetto be found for these committees. Colin Meyer reported that themicroscopy workshop taught by Judy Roger was successful and thebeginning ID classes scheduled for this spring are full. Karin saidthat PSMS has hosts for all field trips. Patrice Benson said thatabout 110 people participated in this year's banquet at CUH; thePolish singers were a great success. Copies of the revised by-lawswere distributed. The board needs to decide at our May meetingwhether to accept the revisions or make alternate suggestions. TheNorth American Mycological Association has raised membership feesto $32/year. John Goldman volunteered to be our NAMA membershiprepresentative. Pacita Roberts volunteered to manage the membershipdatabase. Don and Cathy Lennebacker will coordinate this year'sLake Quinault foray.
U.S. Forest ServiceMushroom Survey Patrice Benson
On the weekend of May 12, about70 mushroomers from PSMS, the Pacific Northwest Key Council, TheEvergreen State College lichen and fungi class, and the NorthwestMushroomers gathered at Tall Timber Lodge on the White River nearLeavenworth to participate in a Forest Service survey of wildmushrooms. We collected examples of any fruiting fungi found inselected areas of the Wenatchee National Forestto add to a list of the fungi found near spotted owl habitats. Suchsurveys help determine how this forest is managed by our ForestService. Six species from the Forest Service ``rare''list were collected, confirmed, and dried, to be deposited asvoucher specimens in the Wenatchee District herbarium. Anadditional 60 species were identified and vouchered as examples ofspring fungi fruiting in these older growth areas. Once again, weworked, learned a lot, and met lots of great people. The moreltasting, which is traditional in the Sieger camper, was possiblebecause of the generosity of Mick Mueller, our survey leader. Hedivulged a great spot to Greg Johnston from the Seattle P-I,who was photographing Colin Meyer and Alissa Allen for his storyabout morels. The story appeared on May 24 in the outdoorsection. Thanks to Mick for organizing such a good and usefulexperience for us all.
SwaukCreek Field Trip Doug & Theresa Ward
About 30 of us gathered at theSwauk Creek Campground on Saturday, May 12, in spite of its beingstill closed to cars. The weather was dry (too dry!) and warm, withnary a cloud and not many mushrooms in sight. We did find justenough morels to capture the interest of the newer members but notenough to cause excitement.
Theresa and I were the field triphosts, and I identified the following fungi: RussulaBrevipes, a number of Ganoderma spp., Naematoloma(Hypholoma) fasciculare, the aforementioned morels, threesmall Boletusedulis, several Gyromitra gigas, at least three differentCortinarius spp., Agrocybepraecox, Caloscypha fulgens, and the largestVerpa bohemica I have ever seen. There were also a number oflittle brown mushrooms that were beyond my expertise toidentify.
Because the campground was notofficially open for business, there was no potluck thistrip.
Twenty-Nine Pines Field Trip Brian Luther
I arrived at this campground 13miles up the Teanaway River Valley at about 8:45 AMon May 19, after the required stop atthe Cle Elum bakery (the car stops on its own). Don Lennebacker hadalso just pulled in and then some others soon after, including JohnGoldman, who had spent the night in his RV. As we were standingaround chatting, someone noticed a large wild tom turkey on ahillside nearby, and it walked right through the campground quitenear us. It seemed oblivious to us, although I'm sure that itwasn't, until someone arrived with a dog that ran out of their car.Then the turkey decided it was time to take to the air and say``bye.'' Thirty-three people signed in, and pretty much everybodyfound morels, making this a fun and rewarding outing. We were luckyto have both Frances Ikeda and Russ Kurtz working together as hostswhile I identified, because everything went smoothly as a result.Thank you, Frances and Russ!
The weather was somewhat windyand a little fickle throughout most of the day, with puffy whiteclouds moving rapidly overhead and intermittent bright sun. We gotvery lightly sprinkled on at one point, but it just aboutcompletely cleared up by the end of the day.
We got a surprise visit from JoySpurr and so were treated to the company of two charter members(Russ Kurtz is also a charter member of PSMS)¾a rare occasion. Mike Lovelady wandered injust long enough to show me his overflowing basket full of thechoicest morels (Morchella elata) you ever saw in your life.I truly believe that there is some sort of magnetic orgravitational association between Mike and morels. One of themembers brought his border collie; she was very skilled atretrieving a Frisbee and this entertained us for some time. Dougand Theresa Ward found a beautiful collection of Boletusedulis , which got everybody even more enthusiastic.
Thirty-eight species of fungiwere collected and displayed, including 21 gilled mushrooms, 10Ascomycetes, 4 polypores, 2 boletes, and 1 coral. Special thanks toColin Meyer and Alissa Allen, who did a great job helping withidentification. Early on I made the rounds to the old campfire pitsand found a number of interesting burn site or anthracophilicfungi, including Myxomphaliamaura, Pholiota highlandensis, Peziza praetervisa, a Geopyxis sp., an unknownPeziza , and the real rarity, Pyronema domesticum.
Eleven people stayed for a greatlittle potluck near the campfire that Russ got going, and I think Ispeak for everybody when I say we all had a fun and satisfying day,both mycologically and socially.
PSMSSUMMER PICNIC JULY 14 KarinMendell
Host Luis Felix,
Where Seward Park Shelter #5 (same shelter as last year) WhenSaturday July 14, 2001
The shelter is reserved from10:00 AM to dusk (whenthe park closes). Early birds can come and share coffee/tea andbreakfast treats. The picnic lunch starts around 1:00
Directions: Go to the westside of Mercer Island and swim across the lake or, from Seattle,take I-5 to I-90, get off at exit 3 (west side of Lake Washington),go south on Rainier Ave S. about 3 miles, and take a left onto S.Orcas Street, heading east. South Orcas Street ends at Seward Parkafter intersecting Lake Washington Blvd. S. Once in the park,continue to drive up the hill to the first parking lot on theright. Shelter #5 is nearby. (PSMS signs will lead the way once youare in the park.)
Food: Please bring apotluck salad, side dish, or dessert to share. Bring your own meatto barbecue, buns, sauces, eating and serving utensils, andsunscreen (hopefully). Drinks, plates, cups, and charcoal will beprovided by PSMS.
Facilities: Shelter, tables,grills, restrooms, kids' playground, tennis courts.
Activities: Bring any games you'dlike to share such as badminton or croquet sets. There are alsowalks through or around Seward Park, swimming, Frisbee catching,kite flying, boating (a public boat ramp is nearby), bicycling, andmushroom hunting (in July?).
GeorgeRafanelli iN HOSPITAL IrwinKleinman
Charter member George Rafanellihad a bad fall early in May and was in intensive care at HarborviewHospital. He is home now and would appreciate any get well cards tocheer him up.
BullfrogFlats Field Trip Patrice Benson
It was a very windy day atBullfrog Flats on May 5, but the sun shone down as the mushroomsflew through the air from the makeshift ID tables. Hosts KarenMendell and Luis Felix signed in 38 participants. Patrice Bensonattempted to identify about 25 species, including one Sarcosomamexicana, which is considered rare (it seems to appear once ortwice each spring). Morchella spp., Verpa(Ptychoverpa ) bohemica, and Gyromitra montana (G.gigas) and Gyromitra esculenta were among the mostnumerous specimens found. I had the feeling that lots of morelswere collected but were hiding in the trunks of cars to avoid beingblown away. The potluck was lovely and the companylikewise.
Psathyrella Alert Gene Yetter
New York MycologicalSociety/New Jersey Mycological Society
I am writing to request reportsof Psathyrella activity in your area this mushroom season.If you can reliably identify the Psathyrella species thatyou collect, please let me know. Include assumed species name,date, substrate, quantity, possible host, current weather, etc.,and any other interesting details.
I am especially interested inspecies in the P. candoleana group and, in particular,
My e-mail address is gyetter@worldnet.att.net
MORELSPORES WANTED CarolCarter
I am interested in obtainingmorel spores for a molecular taxonomy study. If members of yourmycology society could send me some spores from collections thisspring, I would greatly appreciate it. To obtain the spores, cut amature morel in half (longitudinally) or in sections and place cap,outer surface down, on a piece of waxed paper. Leave undisturbedfor 24 hours at room temperature (e.g., inside a cabinet). Sporesshould be released and they will stick to the waxed paper. Removethe cap pieces. With success you can probably see the white sporesas a light pattern on the paper. Fold up the waxed paper (sporesinside), place it in an envelope labeled with all the informationyou have (habitat, what you think it might be ¾gray, black, blonde, species name etc.).Seal envelope. Place all envelopes in a larger envelope and mail(via regular mail) to me:
Dr. Carol Carter
Biology Dept.
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, Oregon 97207-0751
Alternative surfaces that haveworked well for retaining spores are plastic disposable sterilePetri dishes. I get great retrieval from spores stuck on thesedishes. Tape lid on when done and label top. Smooth paper, likeXerox paper, is OK. Don't use soft paper. The spores don't comeoff.
Limit the number of samples. I aminterested in finding the distribution of putative species andfinding all the different kinds. I don't want to do numeroussamples that may all be the same thing. So a couple of sporesamples each from representatives of probably different morelswould suitable.
I don't always have success withevery sample. But I would be happy to send contributors the resultsof my analysis (comparing to other morels). Thank you verymuch.
UK Poppy-killing fungusdeveloped
Fungifama, South Vancouver Island Myco.Soc., April 2001
Scientists are developing a
The program is based inUzbekistan, in central Asia ,
Britain would hope to unleashenough fungus to infect thousands of acres of poppies grown in thecentral Asia region.
Telluride MushroomConference EmanuelSalzman
The 21st annual TellurideMushroom Conference will be held August 23-26, 2001, in Telluride, Colorado. The TellurideConference is designed for persons interested in mushroomidentification, edible, poisonous, and psychoactive mushrooms, andmushroom cultivation.
Dr. Rick Doblin, President of theMultidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, will addressa plenary session of the Conference on Psilocybin Research. Histopic is ``From Cowpies to Clinical Trials.''
Gary Lincoff, author of theAudubon Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, willconduct a course on mushroom identification; Paul Stamets, authorof Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms , on ``MushroomCultivation''; Andrew Weil, author of Eating Well for OptimumHealth, on ``Mushrooms and Health''; John Corbin, cultivationspecialist, on ``Growing Mushrooms on Straw''; Linnea Gillman, PastPresident of the Colorado Mycological Society, on ``Rocky MountainMushrooms''; and Emanuel Salzman, co-editor of MushroomPoisoning, on ``Poisonous Mushrooms.''
Telluride is an historic Coloradomining town on the western slope of the Rocky Mountain ContinentalDivide. Daily forays will be led into the nearby forests, which aregenerally productive of a wide variety of wild mushrooms,particularly edible species.
For further information,contact
Fungophile:
P.O. Box 480503
Denver, Colorado 80248-0503
Phone 303-296-9359
FAX 303-296-9359
e-mail lodomyco@uswest.net
WOOD MULCH SPREADS MAGICMUSHROOMS
The SporePrint, LA Myco. Soc., April 2001,from Feb. 2001Union Jack
The enthusiasm for wood chipmulch by Britain's gardeners is allowing a host of exoticmushrooms, including hallucinogenic species, to flourish throughoutBritain, said Dr. Peter Shaw of the University of Surrey in anaddress to the British Ecological Society. Psilocybecyansecens and Psilocybe percivalii, two speciesknown as ``magic mushrooms,'' are fast finding quality habitat inunsuspecting gardens. One particularly potent hallucinogenicspecies, Agrocybe putominium, was found growingluxuriantly on a traffic roundabout, oblivious to the noise andfumes surrounding it. The species are native to North America, andDr. Shaw suspects they came to Britain innocently through a batchof American plants received at Kew Gardens some yearsago.
Though they rarely, if ever,exist in nature, wood chips make excellent habitats for fungi. ``Itis arguable that in piling up wood chips, gardeners have created aqualitatively new habitat,'' says Shaw.
This will be the last Spore Printsissue until next September. Have afabulous summer!
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