by Sue Lancelle
For a wonderful week in August, 12 PVMA members participated in a foray at Dianna’s lovely home in the White Mountain region near Bethlehem, NH. Every day we went on collecting walks in various places and habitats around the region, usually hitting two different areas per day. By late afternoon, our collections were spread out on a display table on the screened porch (with a beautiful view of the mountains in the background!).
Fortified by liquid refreshments of various sorts and armed with piles of ID books, Dianna’s vast knowledge, and a couple of microscopes, we dived into the task of trying to identify everything. Anyone who made an ID would explain to the others the basis for the decision, and sometimes a lively discussion ensued. In total, we were able to identify over 230 fungi and one slime mold to the species level, and several more to genus only (see the dinners prepared by various members, and one night a mycophagy event cooked up by Anna Seitz, using the edibles we found on our walks.
Everyone was expected to pitch in and help with meals and cleaning. Being able to focus solely on collecting and learning the fungi without our normal daily distractions was a tremendous educational and social experience!
Turbinellus floccosus by Jessica Benson Evans