For the first foray of the 2026-2027 season, about 30 SVIMS members convened at Metchosin Wilderness Park. Andy MacKinnon and Mel Hesz (who gave the SVIMS presentation two days before) were group leaders. Several who attended were at their first organized foray.
After a dry summer, mushrooms were thin on the ground. Only about 15 species were found. Seven were collected for sequencing in the BC MycoMap project.
About 300 different species of fungi (not counting lichens) have been in the park over several years of searching. A bit over 75 of these species have been sequenced. Half of the species are species in the full sense of the word. The other half are temp-coded sequences, many of which will some day have their own species names. The sequenced species and temp codes from the park can be seen on this iNaturalist page.
