our favorite fungi
Last Friday night Jude and I attended a talk by Shannon Berch, a mycologist and
professor of botany at the University of British Columbia. The overflow crowd of
50 or so was gathered to help Dr. Berch kick off mushroom season with a workshop
at Heriot Bay Inn, the hub of the island.
It was a delightful evening. Dr. Berch shared a wealth of information about our
favorite fungi. The Inn featured a special mushroomcentric menu, and provided
attendees with mushroom-filled pastries.
On Saturday, most of the participants went on an all-day field trip to collect spec-
imens. On Sunday, they displayed their findings. Here are some of them:
And the famous Amanita muscaria — toxic, hallucinogenic, star of Walt Disney’s
“Fantasia” and collector of workshop evaluations.
BONUS SHOT: just to let you know things aren’t too soggy on the island, here’s a
recent shot from our garden:
