Hunting for Fungi in Western Canada
Are you fascinated by fungi? If so, you may want to become involved in one of the following groups (or maybe you already are).
Winnipeg Mycological Society
The Winnipeg Mycological Society’s Facebook page is a forum for learning and talking about the fungi of Manitoba and the Canadian Prairies. Members are invited to discuss Prairie species and sites, to share foraging and cultivation tips, to support the correct identification of local mushrooms, and to share news about mycological events in Winnipeg. If there is sufficient interest, the Society could become a club with regular meet-ups, lectures, forays, and citizen science projects.
Nature Manitoba hosts two talks on mushrooms each year that cover identification, cultivation, preparation, and safety.
See Also
The Fungus Among Us [Manitoba Museum]
Manitoba Fungi [Uniter]
Saskatchewan Mycological Working Group
The Saskatchewan Mycological Working Group [Facebook] is a collection of fungi enthusiasts documenting species in Saskatchewan. They are collecting observations of Saskatchewan fungi, lichens, and slime molds on iNaturalist.
See Also
Fungi of Saskatchewan [USask]
All About Fungi [EcoFriendly Sask]
Alberta Mycological Society
The Alberta Mycological Society was established in 1987 and is based in Edmonton. They offer educational programs, seasonal forays into the Rocky Mountain foothills and southern boreal forest, mushroom identification workshops, annual mushroom expositions, an annual gourmet mushroom dinner, and develop lists of mushrooms for each of Alberta’s ecosystems. Their premier educational event is The Great Alberta Mushroom Foray, held in a different Alberta location every year. This event is an extended weekend of mushroom immersion: picking, learning, participating, and socializing.
The seasonal forays explore an outdoor location to search for and identify the fungi growing in the area. The forays are held throughout Alberta with regional coordinators in the Red Deer, Calgary, and Edmonton areas who arrange the necessary mushroom-picking permits.
Spore Print is the official newsletter of the Alberta Mycological Society and is published 2-4 times a year. The resource section of their website includes posters illustrating Alberta’s fungi as well as a video on how to make an origami mushroom.
See Also
3 Tips on How to Tell an Edible Mushroom from a Poisonous One [University of Alberta]
Vancouver Mycological Society
The Vancouver Mycological Society is a group of individuals who share a common interest in mushrooms and fungi. Club activities include monthly meetings, mushroom identification, presentations, forays and field trips, and an annual mushroom festival. They offer a members’ newsletter and a public blog with articles about spring mushrooms and the history of mushroom cultivation and mushrooming in BC.
South Vancouver Island Mycological Society
The South Vancouver Island Mycological Society is a nonprofit member-funded organization of professional and amateur mycologists dedicated to the education, study, research, conservation, and advocacy of all aspects of fungi. They hold monthly meetings, forays (such as a recent lichen learning walk), a Chinese mushroom dinner, a mushroom show, and a mushroom ID workshop.
Interior B.C. Mushrooms; Identification, Discussion, & Information
The Interior B.C. Mushrooms; Identification, Discussion, & Information group [Facebook] celebrates and informs via identification and discussion the annual fungal bounty found in the Interior of British Columbia.
See Also
Mushrooms of British Columbia, Andy MacKinnon & Kem Luther (2021)
Mushrooms Up! Edible and Poisonous Species of the Pacific Northwest [Beaty Biodiversity Museum]
Edible Wild Mushrooms: Vancouver Island & British Columbia [Vancouver Island Mushrooms]
Fun Stuff
Mycology: A Fun Board Game of Foraging for Fungi – Over 225 people have backed a Kickstarter campaign for this fungi-related board game, due to be released in January 2024. Designed by a mycologist, the game will give players an opportunity to collect and classify real fungi from around the world.
Fantastic Fungi [Netflix] - A 70-minute film about the magical world of fungi, from mushrooms that clear oil spills to underground fungal networks that help trees communicate.
The Fungi-Mad Ladies of Long Ago [JSTOR Daily] - Studying fungi was decidedly unladylike, but botanical drawings by a number of 19th century women were key to establishing the field of mycology.
Deck of Mushrooms, an illustrated field guide to fascinating mushrooms - 50 illustrated cards outlining the mushrooms’ habitat, uses, and history
Mushroom Spotter’s Deck, a field guide to fungi and their age-old wisdom – a deck of 78 cards, each featuring a watercolour painting of a mushroom on the front and a description on the back (identifying characteristics, fun facts, and a dash of mystical mushroom wisdom)
Further Information
Book Review: The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi by Keith Seifert [EcoFriendly West]
Lichens: Tough and Sensitive [EcoFriendly West]
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/48024881453
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