Michael Hathaway presents: What a Mushroom Lives For

The Usual: VanDusen, Floral Hall 5151 Oak St, Vancouver, BC, Canada

VMS member Michael J. Hathaway draws from his recently published book What a Mushroom Lives For, the second book in an academic trilogy that began with Anna L. Tsing’s The Mushroom at the End of the World. Moving from fungi as an enigmatic kingdom that transformed the ancient Earth to the realm of the fascinating matsutake mushroom on the Tibetan Plateau, Hathaway reveals the ways these mushrooms are creating their own multispecies encounters, with and without humans. This book challenges a legacy of human exceptionalism and human supremacy that is dominant in Western thinking and offers ways to notice the creative liveliness of all organisms, from mammals to mushrooms. Members: Log-in to attend online via Zoom, or join us in person at VanDusen Floral Hall Tuesday May 10 @ 7:30 PM

Members Night!

The Usual: VanDusen, Floral Hall 5151 Oak St, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Upcoming meeting: September 13 Members Night! Year after year, we are amazed to learn of the different experiences and relationships our members have with fungi. Returning after a four-year hiatus, Members Night is when 3-4 VMS members give short, 10-15 minute presentations showcasing a fungal topic of their choosing (instead of committing to a full length presentation). Join us in person at VanDusen Floral hall @ 7PM, or on Zoom.

VMS Meeting Oct 11: Dr. Mary Berbee on Mushrooms Up!

The Usual: VanDusen, Floral Hall 5151 Oak St, Vancouver, BC, Canada

We are honored to have Dr. Mary Berbee of the Berbee Lab join us for our next meeting on October 11th. Schedule of events: 7 pm: Doors and Mushroom Mingling Come at 7 pm to secure a good seat and chat about mushrooms with our experts who will identify specimens. Be sure to check out what fungal finds are on the table (and bring your own!) 7:30 - 9:30: Guest Talk Our guest speaker, Dr. Mary Berbee will talk about Mushrooms up! UBC's newest collaboration with the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, and BC fungal research. This would be a hybrid meeting, meaning those who cannot attend in person can join us live through Zoom and there will be a Zoom recording in our members' archive:

2022 VMS Mushroom Show

The Usual: VanDusen, Floral Hall 5151 Oak St, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The Annual VMS Mushroom Show returns after a 2 year COVID hiatus!   Join us in VanDusen Gardens' Floral Hall from 11 AM to 4PM on Sunday October 23rd, and witness the range of fungal diversity of the Lower Mainland! We are seeking volunteers who would like to help out with the VMS annual mushroom show: with breakdown & set up, lunch crew, ID help, and more! if you are a VMS member and interested in helping out/more info, please shoot us an email at info@vanmyco.com Eventbrite ticket listing | or $3 cash at the door

$3

VMS Meeting Nov 8 — Kabir Bhalla: Of Maize and Men

VanDusen Botanical Garden 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC

Of Maize and Men: How do fungal pathogens such as Ustilago maydis and Cryptococcus neoformans cause disease? Kabir Bhalla (he/him) is a graduate student in the Kronstad Lab at UBC. He is particularly interested in polyphosphate, a phosphorus biopolymer, and how it contributes to disease in the pathogenic basidiomycete yeast, Cryptococcus neoformans. 7 pm: Doors and Mushroom Mingling Come at 7 pm to secure a good seat and chat about mushrooms with our experts who will identify specimens. Be sure to check out what fungal finds are on the table (and bring your own!) 7:30 - 9:30: Guest Talk Bhalla will be presenting a broad overview of C. neoformans and U. maydis, their disease mechanisms, and some recent work from the Kronstad Lab at the University of British Columbia. Join us in person at VanDusen Gardens (Floral Hall). Members may attend the presentation via Zoom. This would be a hybrid meeting, meaning those who cannot attend in person can join us live through Zoom and there will be a Zoom recording in our members' archive.

March Meeting: Paul Kroeger presents “Darwin’s Elves”

VanDusen Botanical Garden 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC

Paul Kroeger has studied mushrooms for over thirty-five years and is a founding member of the Vancouver Mycological Society. He has been involved in many projects and studies about diverse aspects of mushrooms, gaining knowledge about fungal ecology, biochemistry of toxic, hallucinogenic, medicinal, and edible mushrooms. Years of experience have created unique insights and understanding of fungal life-ways and interactions in temperate ecosystems. Kroeger has many times served as President of the VMS and co-authored ‘The Outer Spores: Mushrooms of Haida Gwaii’ in 2012. He has worked at the University of British Columbia researching the biochemistry of medicinal mushrooms and is a major contributor to the mycological herbarium collections in UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum. Paul is an entertaining, knowledgeable speaker who gives illustrated talks throughout the Pacific Northwest on subjects such as general mycology, fungal biology, poisonous mushrooms, magic mushrooms, biology, and the mycology of hot springs. “Darwin’s Elves”: Poisonous mushrooms and mushroom poisonings An introduction to poisonous mushrooms and their effects is important for all those who are interested in mushrooms as a hobby. Major toxin types and their effects are described, and a few case studies show how suspect fungi are identified. This presentation presents practical general guidelines for safely […]

October Monthly VMS Meeting

The Usual: VanDusen, Floral Hall 5151 Oak St, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Join us for our monthly educational meeting! Details to be announced! 

Fungal Barcoding and Microscopy with Alan Rockefeller

The Usual: VanDusen, Floral Hall 5151 Oak St, Vancouver, BC, Canada

TUESDAY, OCT. 17th, Fungal Barcoding and Microscopy with Alan Rockefeller:   The Floral Hall has a capacity of 150 people, so in an effort to not have to turn anyone away at the event, we have made an Eventbrite page. If you would like to attend Alan Rockefeller's talk, please register below as soon as possible:   https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fungal-barcoding-and-microscopy-with-alan-rockefeller-tickets-734904608467?aff=oddtdtcreator   As with all our events, bringing in fresh specimens is HIGHLY encouraged. Let's show Alan the fungal bounty of our region!

$8

42nd Annual Fall Mushroom Show

The Usual: VanDusen, Floral Hall 5151 Oak St, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Get ready for the 42nd Annual Fall Mushroom show! When: Sunday, October 22nd, 2023 When: 10am – 5pm Where: VanDusen Botanical Garden, Floral Hall, West 37th and Oak Street, Vancouver, B.C. Canada   BC's biggest mushroom festival will return to Floral hall this Fall bigger and better than ever. We have extended our hours to bring you loads of family fun mushroom festivities!   We will have: - live entertainment - fresh and dried mushrooms for sale - mushroom kits - guest speakers - books and apparel - arts and crafts - mush more!   Bring your own specimens for identification!   Please note, talks and presentations will take place in the Cedar Room of the Floral Hall, which has a capacity of 50. Talks are "first come first serve".   Masks are optional, and appreciated.   Admission $5.00, children under 12 free. Wheelchair accessible. Parking free but VERY limited. Venue is transit accessible via the 17, R4, and 41 bus lines.   Speakers and talk schedule will be announced on the day!   If admission price is a barrier, please contact president@vanmyco.com   This event is held on Ancestral, Traditional, and Unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) […]

$5

VMS Meeting – Nov 2023

The Usual: VanDusen, Floral Hall 5151 Oak St, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The usual! Speaker TBD