Due to BC Ferry schedule changes, there will not be enough time for a meaningful foray this weekend. If ferry service is restored by the Victoria Day long weekend we reschedule. Otherwise, perhaps we'll make the trip over in the fall. Apologies! There will be a foray to Galiano Island (reached from the Tsawassen ferry terminal) to be led by Kent Brothers & other members on Saturday May 5, weather permitting. This is a full day foray. You don't need to take a car onto the ferry -- we’re walking on and walking off. We suggest you park in the lot just before the causeway -- they shuttle you out to the ferry terminal and back. The ferry leaves Tsawwassen at 9:30 am (almost an hour later than in previous years), arriving at Galiano at 10:24 am. If you don’t see us on the ferry, we will be waiting just up the hill from the ferry dock on Galiano Island under the big trees until everyone is off the ferry. The return ferry leaves Galiano at 4:50 pm (almost an hour earlier than in previous years) and arrives at Tsawwassen at 5:45 pm. There is only one ferry that will […]
Our next meeting is May 8th, 7:30pm in the Floral Hall at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Emma Harrower will present "Long-distance Dispersal and Speciation in the Cortinarius violaceus Group". Emma is a recent PhD graduate from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Her interest in Cortinarius mushroom taxonomy began in Vancouver where she was fascinated by how many mushroom species there are, and how poorly understood they are. This talk willexamine the evolution and biogeography of a beautiful (and easy to identify) subgenus within Cortinarius.
Oyster mushrooms are some of the quickest, easiest and most satisfying mushrooms to grow – and they aren’t picky eaters! In this hands-on workshop we will grow them on one or more types of agricultural or urban waste products, creating delicious, nutrient-dense food-medicine. Each participant will make their own fruiting kit to take home, capable of producing at least two flushes of mushrooms. Participants will learn the life cycle, medicinal properties, identifying features and natural habitat of oyster mushrooms, and how to care for their mushroom kit, ensuring continued harvests. There will be an explanation of how the spawn was made, to give a more complete picture of the cultivation process. The workshop will conclude with a tasting of sautéed oyster mushrooms. Info and Registration: https://italianculturalcentre.ca/blog/events/growing-oyster-mushrooms-on-upcycled-materials/
“From field to fungarium: making collections that expand our knowledge”. This is a workshop being developed with Prof. Mary Berbee to review the purpose and achievements of great herbaria, and to go over the proper procedures for making collections of our local fungi for deposit and contribution to the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. It will likely be no cost, but space will be limited and there will be registration; it will be for VMS members only. If you are interested, please email info@vanmyco.com to get on the mailing list.