SVIMS Mushroom Show 2019

The SVIMS mushroom show took place on Sunday, November 3, at the Cordova Bay 55 Plus Centre. Another rolicking good time for visitors and SVIMS members. (Click on pictures to enlarge)

Over 600 visitors came by during the 6 hours of the show. You can see a short video report on CHEK news at this location (starts at 5:54). CHEK also has a written report with pictures.

 

Ringmaster Andrew directs the three ring extravaganza
Hundreds of mushrooms laid out, labeled, and awaiting hundreds of visitors
Calendar woman Mary Jane and Secretary Gillian woman offer guests two bargains: SVIMS membership and the SVIMS calendar
David shows a showstopper: Sandie's King Bolete
Oluna and her friendly smile work the table where guests bring in their mushrooms for identification.
A table of crafts for the younger guests
Vice president Mel and President of Vice Sinclair field questions about edible and toxic mushrooms
President Andy responds to questions from one of the hundreds of guests
Duane Sept sells and signs his books, including the popular Common Mushrooms of the Northwest
Among the vendors and display, a wonderful sampling of mushroom-dyed fibres
John and Renata explain about non-gilled mushrooms
Richard answers deep and complex mycological queries, such as "Can I eat it?"
Four crowded talks at the show; people are lined up 5 deep outside the hall to hear Andy's talk on the Death Cap mushroom
A visitor shows off the best mushroom t-shirt of the day

Some of the mushrooms on display.

The main display room: a noisy, crowded, joyful, educational place.

Cowichan Lake Foray 2019

The SVIMS Cowichan Lake 2019 Foray was a wild celebration of fungi and friends. Forty people signed up for the whole weekend, many others joined the group on Saturday for the forays.

We stayed, as in previous years, at the Cowichan Research Station and Conference Centre.

Five different forays in the Cowichan Lake area yielded a bounty of mushrooms for the display table.

Morning mist over the lake:

A gallery of some of the more interesting and beautiful mushooms on the table. Click to scroll or enlarge.

In the evenings, participants gathered for a singfest.  Instuments seem to appear out of nowhere. A fiddle, a mandolin, guitars, a harmonica.

SVIMS secretary Gillian Phillips wrote a song for the group called “Weekend Away Again in Amanitaville.” We sang it to the tune of “Wasting Away Again in Margaritaville.”  Click on the lyrics above to see a larger image.

The gang enjoyed wonderful meals cooked by the kitchen staff.

Ringing the dinner bell

Finally, some candid pics from the event, courtesy of Kurt and Lise (click to enlarge).

Juliet Pendray Talk — Thur, Sept 5, 2019

Fall is almost here. Time for another year of great SVIMS talks. To get us started, we have our own Juliet Pendray. She will be doing a presentation on lichens, our secret mushrooms. Come and be amazed at the versatility and variety of this compound life form.

Mushroom microscopy course postponed

Please note that the mushroom microscopy course with Oluna and Adolf Ceska for Sept 13-15 has been postponed until after the fall mushroom season. Further information at the regular SVIMS meetings. (This is not, by the way, the mushroom ID course mentioned in the previous post.)

2019 SVIMS Workshop: Introduction to mushroom identification

Saturday and Sunday, 10am – 4pm, in September 28th –29th 2019

No cost for this event!!!

To register, send an email to David Walde at this address

Registrations will be taken till until September 6 (up to and including the SVIMS meeting then). 

David Walde (secretary)

 

Required pre-reading: Before Saturday, September 28, read these sections under Studying Mushrooms at the Mushroom Expert web site http://www.mushroomexpert.com/ ·

  • Collecting for Study

  • Making Spore Prints

  • Descriptions & Journals

  • Identifying Mushrooms

  • Determining Odour and Taste

 

Saturday Classroom session: Location: University of Victoria, exact location TBD

10 – 10:30  Welcome, discussion of goals & expectations, discussion of pre-reading assignment

10:30 – 12  Hands-on, interactive mushroom identification to major groups

12 – 1  Lunch on your own 1 – 4 Hands-on, interactive mushroom identification to genus

  • We will provide materials for the group to work with
  • We will provide printed keys for mushroom identification
  • Bring along any gilled mushrooms (good collections of one or two species ONLY) that you harvest from the wild and spore print before the workshop (optional)
  • Bring along a hand lens if you have one
  • Bring along any mushroom identification books that you want to use
  • Bring along your bag lunch or go out for lunch

 

Sunday Classroom session Location: University of Victoria, exact location TBD

10 – 12  Hands-on, interactive mushroom identification to genus and species

12 – 1  Lunch on your own 1 – 4 Hands-on, interactive mushroom identification to genus and species