2005 Fall Forays Report from Alan Gan

We had 12 memorable forays this fall covering the entire GTA from Simcoe to York and Durham regions. Though we did not find as many morels in our Spring Forays compared to two years ago, we definitely found record-breaking numbers of species in our Fall Forays. The number of species at one Fall Foray came in at a record 111, and four other forays reached over 80. This shows, presumably, that the knowledge of our foray participants has dramatically improved. Much credit should be given to Richard Aaron who collected and identified many small fungi that would normally be missed during our walks through the forest. Of course we must not forget the other foray leaders and up-coming future leaders who search avidly and work diligently on their identification skills.

To the beginners, if you can remember 5 to 10 species of new mushrooms in every foray, after 5 years, you will be an expert! So don’t give up if you are puzzled by the different Latin names; all of us “more experienced folk” have gone through those tough sessions of memorizing the Clitocybe, Clitopilus, Rhodocybe, Inocybe, Psilocybe, Crepidotus, Pleurotus, Pluteus, Pholiota, Phlebia, Phaeocollybia, Phallus, Peziza, Paxillus, Panellus, Panaeolus etc. After repeated encounters, associations and comparisons with fungi collected in different forays, discussion with fellow members, and study of the field guides, their characteristics and differences will soon be imprinted in our brains.

Another record this year may be the number of attendees at our Fall Forays; on several occasions we had over 35 participants. Ask the foray leaders and you will get feedback on the trekkers’ enthusiasm. Such large numbers are not ideal, and we are thinking about having two separate forays on the same day for a more manageable and satisfying experience for each and every participant. It was good to see some experienced members taking home carefully selected mushrooms for the pot after a foray and sharing their knowledge with the less experienced members. Remember the cautionary saying “All fungi are edible - Once!” and realize that you personally have to learn to identify each mushroom correctly if you wish to live to have a second chance! I thank all the participants on this year’s forays, hoping all will continue to learn more about our fascinating fungi on future forays.

One of the many interesting mushrooms collected this fall was Hygrophorus psittacinus, the parrot mushroom. For a photo click on the name. The overall appearance of this seldom-seen cute little mushroom left every beholder with mouth agape. Many pictures were taken of this green mushroom and I hope the picture-takers will come forward and post those pictures on our web site for all to see. Go to the end to see this mushroom.

Last but not least, our collective thanks to all the foray leaders: Umberto, Terry, Peter, John, Sonia, Richard, Michael, Vito, Vello, Tony, Henk, Tom, Ernie and Ingrid for making our expeditions possible. Without them, we would not have had all this fun and we would not have gathered this much knowledge of the wide world of fungi.