Despite that distillation has been practiced for over 3,000 years, only in the past few centuries have social wealth and agricultural bounty coincided to allow the stockpiling of spirits, with enhanced flavour and aroma characteristics accompanied by increased value as the emergent side benefits. The main downside to spirit aging has been the loss of […]
In 2015, Cordyceps cultivation was unknown to the public, and the small groups of mycologists who were aware of Cordyceps in English-speaking countries did not know how to cultivate Cordyceps efficiently. Shortly after, William cultured the first Cordyceps to be publicly cultivated in the United States by MycoSymbiotics and Terrestrial Fungi. In Winter of 2016-17, […]
There is a surging interest in wild mushrooms and foraging for edibles. The Northeast’s abundant mushrooms offer a supply of locally sourced, tasty food. Many people are taking to the woods in search of edible mushrooms to eat and share with their families. Unfortunately, The Northern New England Poison Center has seen a corresponding increase […]
This talk will cover psychoactive fungi from a multitude of angles. You'll learn how to identify common psychoactive fungi of the North East in the field; covering species within Psilocybe, Panaeolus, Gymnopilus, Pholiotina, Pluteus and Amanita. We'll survey their use in different cultures from the past to the present, and learn how their unusual biochemistry is being put to therapeutic use. We'll end by looking at their current legal status and how this is expected to evolve with their increasing acceptance.
Uncontrolled water intrusions in our homes and work spaces can result in unplanned indoor fungal growth. While most of us have encountered mold or mildew in our bathrooms, kitchens, attics and basements, there are a whole suite of fungi (and slime molds) that grow in our indoor environments. In this presentation, Michael Warnock will lead […]
The ability to infect insects arose multiple times along the evolution of Fungi. However, none has shown such broad and sophisticated strategies to infect, persist and transmit spores than the so-called “Zombie-Ant Fungi”. These fungi evolved the ability to make their hosts to leave the colony, climb up to a summit position on plant parts […]
Our friends at the Mid-Hudson Mycological Association are kindly opening up one of their lectures to our members. Thank you MHMA and John Michelotti! The talk Puerto Rico is an island in the Caribbean with a unique culture, history, and biological diversity. Citizen scientist Kurt Miller has lived here for several years in which he […]
New York City is filled with wild flora - majestic trees, rare wildflowers, wetland grasses - that are critical to the ecological function of the City's ecosystems. Learn about our indigenous plants and why local ecotypes are important. Explore our urban forests, marshes and meadows that house these species and threats to these habitats. We'll […]
Conservative estimates put the number of extant fungal species at 1.5 – 5.1 million, of which < 10% have been described. One of the many questions that has been generated from these estimates is where are the “missing”, or dark, fungi. The majority of fungal data, including species estimates, are based on studies of macrofungal […]
The talk DNA sequencing has become an integral part of modern mycology. It's not only helping with the classification of fungi but has revolutionized our understanding of the fungal tree of life. This talks will take us through the many uses (and abuses) of DNA sequencing, explain how DNA sequencing works, what it takes to […]
Typical lists of mushroom forms (agaric, bolete, polypore, crust...) are familiar and useful, but we don't often give the forms themselves much attention. This presentation will be a casual attempt to add some precision and thoroughness to how we think about the forms, relating them to each other and giving extra attention to the in-betweens […]
The Hebeloma project has been evolving for over 20 years. The database that started in 2003 now has over 10,000 collections, from around the world, with not only metadata but also morphological descriptions and photographs, both macroscopic and microscopic, as well as molecular data including at least an ITS sequence. Included within this set of […]