iNaturist Workshop, Sunday, March 8, 2020

SVIMS iNaturalist Workshop

Help document biodiversity in BC’s parks with the BC Parks iNaturalist Project

Date: Sunday March 8th, 2020

Time: 3:15pm – 5:30 pm

Place: Swan Lake Nature House

Cost: by donation

iNaturalist is used worldwide to crowdsource and share biodiversity observations: users take photos of flora, fauna, and fungi using their mobile phones or cameras and upload those images to inaturalist.ca, and iNaturalist’s image recognition software and user community can help identify the organism. Kelly Fretwell and Naomi Salie from the BC Parks Foundation will guide you through the process of using iNaturalist to make great citizen science observations of the fascinating fungi, lichens, and slime moulds you come across while out exploring, and to share your own species identification expertise.

Learn about how SVIMS members can get involved in citizen science through the BC Parks iNaturalist Project. This project now has more than 116,000 observations of 5,000 species, thanks to the photo and identification contributions of over 2,700 citizen scientists. By contributing to this project you can create an interactive record of your outdoor explorations while also generating data that helps researchers develop a deeper understanding of what our parks are protecting.

Those with expertise can also share their knowledge and help others identify what they found: the skills and knowledge of SVIMS members would be particularly valuable in determining the often more elusive identities of fungi, lichens, and slime moulds found by other observers.

The afternoon will include a guided stroll in Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary to find and photograph species, so be sure to bring a smart phone or camera to take photos.

Recommendations & optional equipment to prepare for this event:

  • Create an iNaturalist account at inaturalist.ca
  • Download the iNaturalist app on your mobile phone.
  • Bring a laptop computer if you would prefer to use iNaturalist’s desktop website platform rather than the app (not required, but you might find it helpful)
  • Bring a hand lens (loupe) to learn how to turn your phone into a handheld macro lens

Minutes of Feb 6 SVIMS meeting

At the Thursday, February 6, 2020 meeting, members got to hear Joey Tanney, researcher at the Pacific Forestry Centre, expound on a topic he truly loves: endophytes. 

Minutes of the meeting can be viewed here (attention: contains announcements of upcoming events).

Foray on February 8, 2020

On Saturday, February 8, 2020, Andy MacKinnon led a SVIMS foray to Metchosin Wilderness Park.

About 20 SVIMS members attended.

After many days of rain, the weather cooperated. We had sunshine the whole morning. 

Several of the foray participants found late-blooming Hedgehog mushrooms (Hydnum umbilicatum).  Bill Weir knew where to find them!

Participants found 32 different mushrooms. Some of them are pictured in the group shot (above or at the left).

The species list can be viewed here. It’s on iNaturalist–we welcome any help in getting more accurate identifications.

Highlights included a brilliant yellow Chrysomphalina grossula, an unusual find. Finding Mycena sanguinolenta on a cone was also unusual. The Earthtongues (Geoglossum umbratile) attracted considerable interest, as did the black cup fungus Pseudoplectania melaena (which iNaturalist insists on calling Plectania melaena). Andy could barely contain his excitement at seeing Phlebia tremellosa (called Merulius tremellosus on iNaturalist) on a standing dead red alder.

New Mycophile

SVIMS is a member of The North American Mycological Association (NAMA), the collective that unites the mycological societies on this continent.  Six times a year NAMA publishes its newsletter, the Mycophile, and makes it available to members of all supporting clubs.  The January/February 2020 issue was recently released.  To read it, click on the picture of the cover. 

Joey Tanney talk on Endophytes — SVIMS, Feb 6, 2020

We’ve all got ’em.  Endophytes.

They’re the silent partners of all life, the bacteria and fungi that live quietly between (and sometimes inside) the cell walls of plants, animals, and other fungi. 

Come to the SVIMS meeting on Thursday, February 6, and hear the Pacific Forestry Centre’s own Joey Tanney spill the beans on the secret world of endophytic fungi.

Rhytisma punctatum, tarspot fungus, an endophyte living within the leaf of a Bigleaf Maple

ANNUAL SURVIVOR’S BANQUET

January 11th, Saturday.

5:30 = arrival begins.  Dinner at 6.  Raffle afterwards.

(Come at 5 if you can help set up chairs, tables, etc.) 

Where? 

Gordon Head Lawn Bowling Club

4105 Lambrick Way, Victoria.
By the Gordon Head Recreation Centre, just off Feltham. Plenty of free parking.

To bring:

 main or dessert dish for 8 people. Mushroom dishes are encouraged but no necessary.

Your own cutlery, bowl, plate & mug/cup. 

Your own beverage of choice.  (Coffee, tea, water shall be provided.)

 RAFFLE Item: One highly prized item only — new, recycled, or regifted.

 Tickets are 2$ each, 3/5$ & 7/10$.  (Cash only.)  Come prepared to laugh!

Please make sure to bring a card, listing your ingredients!  Paper and pens will be available at Banquet. 

Guests are more than welcome, but must be in attendance with a SVIMS member. 

Garlic bulbs, salmon, artistry, self help books, homemade herbal teas, dried mushrooms, hand carved walking sticks and boxes of squash are items that were feverishly fought over last year. 

Memberships and calendars are available for purchase.

Kitchen is available but only the countertops and sink. 

Any questions? Email: svimsvicepresident@gmail.com