Of Maize and Men: How do fungal pathogens such as Ustilago maydis and Cryptococcus neoformans cause disease? Kabir Bhalla (he/him) is a graduate student in the Kronstad Lab at UBC. He is particularly interested in polyphosphate, a phosphorus biopolymer, and how it contributes to disease in the pathogenic basidiomycete yeast, Cryptococcus neoformans. 7 pm: Doors and Mushroom Mingling Come at 7 pm to secure a good seat and chat about mushrooms with our experts who will identify specimens. Be sure to check out what fungal finds are on the table (and bring your own!) 7:30 - 9:30: Guest Talk Bhalla will be presenting a broad overview of C. neoformans and U. maydis, their disease mechanisms, and some recent work from the Kronstad Lab at the University of British Columbia. Join us in person at VanDusen Gardens (Floral Hall). Members may attend the presentation via Zoom. This would be a hybrid meeting, meaning those who cannot attend in person can join us live through Zoom and there will be a Zoom recording in our members' archive.

Paul Kroeger has studied mushrooms for over thirty-five years and is a founding member of the Vancouver Mycological Society. He has been involved in many projects and studies about diverse aspects of mushrooms, gaining knowledge about fungal ecology, biochemistry of toxic, hallucinogenic, medicinal, and edible mushrooms. Years of experience have created unique insights and understanding of fungal life-ways and interactions in temperate ecosystems. Kroeger has many times served as President of the VMS and co-authored ‘The Outer Spores: Mushrooms of Haida Gwaii’ in 2012. He has worked at the University of British Columbia researching the biochemistry of medicinal mushrooms and is a major contributor to the mycological herbarium collections in UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum. Paul is an entertaining, knowledgeable speaker who gives illustrated talks throughout the Pacific Northwest on subjects such as general mycology, fungal biology, poisonous mushrooms, magic mushrooms, biology, and the mycology of hot springs. “Darwin’s Elves”: Poisonous mushrooms and mushroom poisonings An introduction to poisonous mushrooms and their effects is important for all those who are interested in mushrooms as a hobby. Major toxin types and their effects are described, and a few case studies show how suspect fungi are identified. This presentation presents practical general guidelines for safely […]

Join us for our monthly educational meeting! Details to be announced! 

TUESDAY, OCT. 17th, Fungal Barcoding and Microscopy with Alan Rockefeller:   The Floral Hall has a capacity of 150 people, so in an effort to not have to turn anyone away at the event, we have made an Eventbrite page. If you would like to attend Alan Rockefeller's talk, please register below as soon as possible:   https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fungal-barcoding-and-microscopy-with-alan-rockefeller-tickets-734904608467?aff=oddtdtcreator   As with all our events, bringing in fresh specimens is HIGHLY encouraged. Let's show Alan the fungal bounty of our region!

The usual! Speaker TBD

Get cosy and join us online* to watch a stream of the Fungi Film Fest! (https://www.fungifilmfest.com/) *for current VMS members    

Monthly meeting: talk on mushroom dyeing.

Culinary Truffles with Doug Campbell and Dr. Shannon Berch (see latest email for full details: https://www.vanmyco.org/latest-email-to-members/)

Nov. 12th: Monthly Meeting Tuesday, November 12th @ Floral Hall Daniel Winkler will be making his return to Canada to bring us: Fungal Fruits of the Forest - Choice Edible Mushrooms of the PNW Daniel will present our choice edible mushrooms such as chanterelles, hedgehogs, king boletes, morels, bear’s head and cauliflower mushroom which are easy to identify, helping one to overcome mycophobia and truly appreciate wild mushrooms. In this richly illustrated presentation, Daniel will help you get to know, identify and find many great edible mushrooms while steering you clear of dangerous look-alikes. By the example of enjoyable edible fungi, Daniel will open for you the gates to the kingdom of fungi and elucidate their ecological functions and diversity in lifestyles. A key component in finding your mushrooms is getting to know their preferred habitat and their seasonality. Daniel will share lots of new insights from his new book “Fruits of the Forest – Handbook to Edible Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. In addition, Daniel is mixing in some fungal fun & facts from his ethno-mycological research and Mushroaming adventure travels. About Daniel: Daniel grew up collecting and eating wild mushrooms in the Alps and is sharing his enthusiasm […]