Monthly Meeting by Zoom Tues. September 12, 2023

Shannon Adams is our speaker for the evening. Her topic:

Cortinarius 101 – Identifying the Genus, Conservation & Edibility.

More information is below her photo.

This is a zoom-only meeting – members should have received a link from our SVIMS President.  

6:45 pm to socialize. 7 pm to start.

Do you love learning about mushrooms but think ‘Cortinarius’ is too hard? It doesn’t have to be that way! Shannon will help you recognize distinctive features of Cortinarius and how to differentiate them from common ‘lookalikes’, and then take you on a rich visual tour to appreciate species diversity. During the talk you will get to know some of our most notable Cortinarius ‘celebrities’ and have new resources for ID when you find these diverse and beautiful species.

Shannon Adams is a User Researcher in the tech industry who has a passion for the genus Cortinarius. When she emigrated from Australia 20+ years ago she was struck by the diversity and beauty of Cortinarius species she saw in the Washington Cascades, and started trying (and failing) to identify them. For the past 6 years, she has been collecting and documenting Cortinarius species and has over 1,200 collections in her personal herbarium.

In 2021 she led the publication of a new Cortinarius species – Cortinarius rufosanguineus – and has recently worked with other Cort experts to describe three additional species she will introduce to us. Shannon is here to spread her love of the Cortinariaceae and to give you resources to help you get to know BC species.  

Links: https://nacorts.com and see also Cortinarius on iNaturalist.

SVIMS President’s Picnic, 2023

The 2023 SVIMS President’s Picnic was a big hit this year. It was hosted, as custom dictates, by the current president (Mel Hesz). This time it took place at the home of ex-president Andy MacKinnon. Forty to fifty people showed up at Andy and Mairi’s beautiful property overlooking Metchosin’s Witty’s Lagoon. People brought an amazing variety of creative dishes for the lunch.

Finding the best shade on a warm day
Early birds get the table.
Maggy McGee's cupcakes

President’s Picnic Sunday July 2

This Sunday is our first President’s Picnic, since Covid!  This is a lovely event to socialize & share stories.  Guests are welcome! 

 

Please remember to bring:

 

A main meal or dessert for 6 people  
Portable chair
Cutlery
Plate/bowl
Mug/cup
Drink of choice
Fungi for identifying or chatting about (not mandatory due to dry season)

 

Arrival:  11:30am

Location:  504 Witty Beach Road, Metchosin

  • Parking on street.  

–  Be aware that on a sunny weekend, the beach is busy, and parking can extend up the road. 

–  You’re welcome to park in the driveway to drop off chairs, food etc, but cannot remain parked there.  Please do NOT park on lawn, as it’s a septic field, which would be damaged by doing so!

–  House on right side, at very end of road, next to trail entrance to Witty’s Beach. 

–  BBQ available, as is kitchen for food prep, heating up etc.

 

SVIMS Lichen Foray Devonian May 2023

Juliet Pendray took SVIMS members on a second lichen learning walk at Devonian Park on May 6, 2023. The following Tuesday she delivered an informative presentation on lichens at the SVIMS month meeting. 
 

On the walk, SVIMS members had the opportunity to check out lichens in a rare and endangered Garry oak ecosystem. Volunteers, organized by the late Moralea Milne, have been keeping the Devonian Park ecosystems pristine by removing invasives.

Juliet talked during the walk about lichen characteristics and habitat. Participants were inspired by Juliet’s obvious  enthusiasm. 

Fishnet lichen (Ramalina menziesii)
Beaultiful Devonian Park
The crew
We're gonna try to get to here...
Steven 1, Steven,2 and Juliet heading out.
Juliet talks to the lichen.
Lichens are everywhere!
The group found lichens of many types and species. Among them were questionable rockfrog (Xanthoparmelia cumberlandii), many pixie lichens (Cladonia spp), conifer saucer lichen (Ochrolechia cf. oregonensis).
Frog pelt lichen (Peltigera)
Conifer saucer lichen (Ochrolechia cf. oregonensis).
Absolutely covered in pixie lichens (Cladonia spp.)