February Speaker
At our next MSSF General Meeting we are excited to welcome
Roberto Flores Arzu
to speak on the
Diversity and Distribution of Boletus sensu stricto in the American Continent
Date and Time: 2/20/2024 - 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Pacific time
Social time, Mushroom ID, snacks and drinks at 6:30 pm and Meeting starts at 7:30pm
~General meetings are open to the public~
You are welcome to attend in person at the Randall Museum or via Zoom
Zoom Link
Zoom Meeting ID: 891 8438 9640
Passcode: 608192
Roberto Flores Arzu - Biography
- Biologist by San Carlos de Guatemala University-USAC. Age: 60.
- Master’s in Education, Bioethics and Ph.D. in Biology/Mycology in Murcia University (Spain)
- Full Professor in USAC in the Microbiology Department of the Faculty of Chemical Sciences & Pharmacy (30 years) and member of the current Directory
- One of the 3 mycologists in Guatemala
- Curator of the Mycological Collection of Guatemala-MICG
- Member of the International Committee of IWEMM (International Workshop on Edible Mycorrhizal Mushrooms)
- Co-Editor of the book Mushrooms, Humans and Nature in a Changing World, Springer 2020
- Preparing the first book about Mushrooms of Guatemala with description of 200 species including new genera and species for sciences and chapters dedicated to the rich local ethnomycology.
- Working in Projects and papers with prestigious mycologists of the U.S., Italy, Germany, China, Japan and Mexico
- main projects in course: Boletales of Guatemala and The genera Lactarius, Lactifluus and Multifurca in Guatemala
Culinary Corner
We started off the year with the January dinner themed “A Mushroom New Years on the Bayou” with Dinner Captains Teresa and Roy Branda.
Menu:
Main Dish: Mushroom-Shrimp Gumbo
Vegetarian Alternative Main: Mushroom-"Shrimp" (veggie) Gumbo
Louisiana Bayou Rice
Romaine/Cranberry/Pecan Salad w/ Champagne Vinaigrette
Dessert: Candy cap Shortbread Cookies Coffee & tea
It was well attended. The gumbo was delicious and the candy cap shortbread cookies had gold painted pecans adorning them. There were many delicious appetizers to try, trumpet pate, candy cap cup cakes, black trumpet chickpeas, shaggy parasol spread, sparassis spread, caramelized matsutake, hedgehog kale, porcini gruyere quiche, chanterelle toast, chanterelle spread, mushroom puff paste, candy cap peach cheese bits and more.
February's dinner was a "Midwinter Spanish Feast" captained by Alvaro Carvajal. This event was sold out! So remember to sign up for the dinner early! The paella was a feast for your eyes as well as your taste buds.
Menu:
Main Dish: Seafood Paella
Vegetarian Alternative Main: Vegan Mushroom Paella
Tomatoes & Cumbers on Mixed Greens
Garlic Bread
Dessert: Candy cap Cupcakes and Coffee & Tea
Once again the dinner guests were welcomed by an array of different appetizers. There was miso tofu with black trumpets, mushroom pate, porcini spanish rice balls with mojo verde, toasts with goat cheese and black truffles, toasts with black trumpets and anchovies, yellowfoot and black trumpet spread, porcini powdered deviled eggs, tortilla Española with morels, chanterelle puff pastry, veggie stuffed mushrooms, chanterelle bruschetta, pickled yellowfoot and celery salad, accras de morue (salt cod fritters), shaggy parasol, marinated mushrooms, black trumpet beet and blood orange arugula salad, candy cap creme brulee, swedish fat tuesday buns and more.
Next culinary dinner will be on March 4th. Look for the event registration in the next couple of weeks. Come for the food and the good company. Bring some mushrooms for our ID table. Bon Apetite and happy hunting.
The MSSF Culinary Group is open to all members interested in the gastronomical aspects of mushrooming. We meet on the first Monday of each month, with a few exceptions when a holiday falls on the first Monday, to enjoy each other’s company and have a delicious meal. The dinners are open to current members of MSSF and the Culinary Group, and their guests. We are united in our love of cooking as well as our love of mushrooms. All participants contribute, either as part of the team that prepares the dinner, or by bringing an appetizer to share. Traditionally, the dinners have been designed to take advantage of the wild mushrooms available, as well as the best and freshest food of the season. The menus are centered on mushrooms, ethnic foods, a particular main ingredient, or a holiday near the time of the dinner. Each dinner is led by a “captain” who sets the menu and organizes volunteers to cook the dishes, as well as handle setup and cleanup.
As usual, BYOB. You will also need to bring your own tablecloth, glassware, place settings, napkins, etc. We will conduct a short business meeting (bring your fun fungal ideas!) at 6pm; potluck follows immediately. Everyone will be asked to help break down and clean up at the end of the evening ...since we need to be out of the building by 9:30 pm.
Covid protocols: In light of SF's current Covid surge, please do not attend this event if you are not feeling well, if you have any cold or flu symptoms, any symptoms of Covid-19, or if you are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19. (Masking is optional and masks will be provided for those who wish to use them when not actually seated and eating.) Thank you very much for your cooperation!
Registration is required to attend, fee is $20 for members, $25 for guests, and children are half price. Only MSSF members whose dues are current may join the Culinary Group, however...so please make sure your MSSF dues are paid up before registering for this dinner. Questions? Problems registering? Call Paul 415-515-1593 or Maria 415-305-3316 (Culinary Group co-Chairs).
How to Photograph Mushrooms, Toadstools and Fungi
Among my favorite things to photograph are Mushrooms – in this post I’ll give you some tips on how to do it.
As a child I had a love hate relationship with Mushrooms.
It all started down on my Nana’s farm where on cool Autumn days one of the things we’d love to do was go Mushrooming. We’d hunt in dark damp places for them and would marvel at the different colors, sizes and shapes that they came in – these bizarre little things that looked like something from out of space.
Nana taught us which ones were edible and which ones to leave alone and we’d return to her kitchen with a bucketful which we’d clean, chop up and put in a pot. That’s where the ‘hate’ part of my relationships started. I can still remember the smell of that stewing pot and Nana’s attempts at getting me to eat the fruit of our mushroom hunt. No thanks – not for me.
These days I don’t mind eating them as much as I used to – however my love of the ‘hunt’ for good mushrooms, toadstools and fungi is still with me – however I don’t hunt them to eat, I hunt them to photograph.
The little alien like creatures that we used to pick and chop up are now sought after photographic subjects. The variety of shapes, colors and sizes present photographers with all kinds of striking possibilities.
How to Photograph Mushrooms, Toadstools and Fungi:
It’s all about the Season – Fungi photography is not a year round hobby as they only tend to grow at certain times of years. I suspect that this will vary from place to place and between varieties but I find I have the best luck in Winter and Autumn where it’s cooler, darker and damper.
Where to Find them
At Nana’s farm we learned where Mushrooms hide and discovered that it’s pretty much the opposite sorts of places that you’ll find flowers (who like warmth, light and are generally out in the open). Mushrooms like the dark, they like the wet and they tend to appear in places that you’d least like to be (on the farm it was often next to a cow pat). Keep your eyes open below trees, under leaves and amongst undergrowth of forests.
Groom Your Fungi before Shooting
Mushrooms grow up from under the ground and as a result can often be half covered in dirt, bits of vegetation and other ‘gunk’. While you might like this natural look it can also be well worth your while clean them up a little before photographing them. Brush off dirt and vegetation and remove any movable distracting objects in the foreground or background of your shots. Remember to be an environmentally friendly photographer and to leave things as naturally as you found them but don’t be afraid to do a little grooming pre-shooting.
Get down Low
Perhaps the most effective way of entering the world of Mushrooms and Toadstools and drawing the viewer of your image into your shot is to get down low and shoot from ground level. This will enable you to see the textures, shapes and colors of not only the top dome of the mushroom but its underbelly. It will also give your mushroom height which makes for a more dramatic and three dimensional shot. Of course means you’ll probably spend a lot of your Fungi photography flat on your stomach on the ground getting dirty. No one said this would be easy!
Get in Close
For a real impact in your mushroom shots get in as close to them as possible and try some tight framing. This will mean you might want to think about switching your camera into macro mode or, if you have a DSLR, hook yourself up with a macro lens or macro screw in lens and learn how to use it. I use a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens and it works well with this type of photography.
Lighting
One of the challenges you’ll be faced with when shooting from low down in lower lighting situations is that the underbelly of your mushroom (which is often it’s most interesting part due to the patterns and textures there) will often be in darkness when compared with it’s top. Lighting a mushroom’s belly can be a tricky thing. Here are a few techniques to try:
- Fill Flash – the first thing to try that almost any digital camera can do these days is to use a flash to achieve a ‘fill flash‘ effect. If you can control the level of output from the flash you’ll want to experiment with this as there is a danger of getting quite harshly lit parts of the mushroom.
- Directional/off Camera Flash – the problem with built in flash units is that you can’t really direct what direction it fires in and when photographing a small object like a mushroom this means that you might not just light up the underbelly but also the top of the mushroom as well as it’s surrounds. If you’re lucky enough to have an external flash unit experiment with bouncing it off other objects (trees, the ground or purpose built reflectors). If you can take your flash off your camera and move it around the mushroom you can also get some interesting sidelight or backlighting results also. Off camera flash is probably the best bet if you have the kit to do it.
- Reflectors – last time I went mushroom hunting I took a reflector with me and used it to reflect available light from the sun back up into the underbelly of the mushrooms. I found this worked quite well (although as I was alone at times I found it a bit of a juggling act).
Stabilize Your Camera
Due to the low light in most places that you’ll find Mushrooms, you’ll often need to shoot with longer shutter speeds which mean the need to find a way to keep your camera perfectly still. Some tripods will allow you to set up your camera as low as inches from the ground by spreading their legs widely but another option is one of the numerous beanbag stabilizers that are available. Also consider using a remote shutter release for extra stillness (or use the self timer).
Slow Shutter Speeds
If you’re struggling with the low light levels don’t be afraid to lengthen the shutter speeds that you’re using. The beauty of Fungi is that they are very still and if you’ve got your camera stabilization working for you with a solid tripod and shutter release cable you can lengthen the shutter speeds almost as long as you’d like (within reason).
Use a Shallow Depth of Field to Isolate Your Fungi
Mushrooms and Fungi usually grow in environments where there can be a lot of clutter around them in the vegetation that they grow in. One great way to isolate them from this background and foreground distraction is to use a shallow depth of field by selecting a large Aperture which will throw the background out of focus (see this tutorial on other tips for getting great backgrounds). Of course it can also be effective to show the context of the mushroom if you’re lucky enough for it to be growing in a photographic location – in these cases you’ll want to select a smaller aperture.
More on getting a shallow depth of field here.
Darren Rowse is the editor and founder of Digital Photography School.
He lives in Melbourne Australia and is also the editor of the ProBlogger Blog Tips. Follow him on Instagram.
Down on the Fungus Farm
By Else Vellinga Many millions of years ago, long before the existence of Man (Homo sapiens), a group of American ants started to grow fungi for food. And they still do it, and do not eat anything else. These ants do exactly the same things as the farmer does with his crops and animals. The fungal gardens are weeded and groomed, fertilized, and sprayed with antibiotics to kill bacteria, and after 5 to7 weeks cuttings are taken and replanted for new gardens elsewhere in the nest, while the old gardens are abandoned. All these activities take place underground. Most importantly, the ants bring food in the form of plant material for the fungi. It is fascinating to realize that humans now are just reinventing methods which have been in use literally for ages by minute critters.
The ants are members of the tribe Attini, or attine ants, a group of 13 genera and circa 200 species, only occurring in the Neotropics. The leaf cutting ants (genera Atta and Acromyrmex) - the so-called higher attine ants - bring freshly cut leaves into the nest. Their mandibles are shears with which the leaves are cut, and smaller worker ants often ride on the leaves on their way to the nest to protect the material against fly attacks. Just because of the sheer size of their colonies these ants cause a lot of damage to crops. Five to eight million animals can live in one colony, using per day as much plant material as a full grown cow. The cut leaves are scissored into smaller and smaller pieces by smaller and smaller worker ants, chewed on and then given to the fungi. There are also lower attine ants who don't bring fresh leaves to the fungi, but take everything edible from the forest floor.
All these ants cultivate Lepiota-like species. Actually several groups of species are involved, allied to Leucoagaricus rubrotinctus, and Leucocoprinus birnbaumii (Lepiota lutea). However, the ants are only interested in the vegetative state of the fungus, and don’t want it to fruit, so they actually suppress the formation of mushrooms. This makes it difficult to know which species of fungus is used by the ants. Molecular methods have made it possible to compare the different species, place them in groups, and relate them to species which do produce fruiting bodies. Mushrooms occur when the nest is deserted for whatever reason. The number of times this has been reported is small, but they still can do it!
One particular group of fungi does not form hyphae at all, but exists in yeast form: simple cells, no hyphae, no structures. The fungi cultivated by the leaf cutters form grape-like swellings on the hyphae, and these are gathered by the ants and brought to the larvae. The other ants let their larvae loose on the hyphae to graze. The normal way the fungus is transferred from one nest to the next is by the founding queen. She puts a bit of fungus in a pocket inside her mouth, before starting on her wedding flight. And she keeps it there during the mating, and the digging of the hole for the new nest! This wad of fungal material will sustain the new colony.
Neighboring ant colonies of different species may grow the same fungal species. If your food supply dies off, you go to the neighbor to take some!
Not only can the garden be raided by other fungus growers, there are even pirate ants, who cannot cultivate the fungus themselves, but just want to live a life of luxury for a while before moving on to the next bed of fungi.
One of the big questions is: How did it all start, 50 million or more years ago? Was there a single founding episode? Was it accidental, in other words, were there already (mycorrhizal) fungi growing in the nest? Did the fungi start out growing on the ants' garbage heaps? Or were bits of spores and hyphae found during food trips and carried around in the ants' mouth pockets, and subsequently grown in the nest?
Another big question is whether there is any advantage in the whole process for the fungi. Is their role just a passive one (they do resemble pigs in industrial farming don't they?), or can they manipulate the ants' behavior and turn the situation into a positive one for themselves? Can the fungi influence the biology of the ants, for instance, by regulating the number of female ants born? There are definitely indications that the fungi do have something to say in what the ants do and don’t do. If the ants collect plants the fungi don't like, they are clearly told not to do that again. The reprimand is possibly a chemical signal that in one way or another is transferred from the fungus to the workers in the nest to the foragers who cover great distances in the outside world.
Research on the chemicals used by the ants and the fungi can play a role in decreasing the crop damage caused by the leaf cutters. New discoveries in the way the fungi and the ants live together can give more insight into the process of evolution. Anyway, there is much to learn from these exciting mutualisms!
Re-post from Mycena News of February 2003
MSSF Library
MacKenzie Hridel Exciting news about the MSSF Library is coming next month! Stay tuned for more information.
In the meantime, are you looking for a good book to read? Do you need some recipe inspiration? Or do you want a resource to help you learn more about fungi? The MSSF Library has over 700 books for you to choose from covering a variety of topics and in a number of languages!
Members can reserve a book through the MSSF Website.
Once you reserve a book, the MSSF Librarian will bring that book to the next in-person meeting. You'll have one month to read the book, then are expected to return it to the next in-person meeting. Please contact the Librarian ( library@mssf.org ) with questions!
Thank you!
MacKenzie |
