Hello VMS! Can you believe we are at our 44th year of hosting the Fall Mushroom Show? We are excited to announce that the big event will take place on October 26th, from 10-5 at the Floral Hall. Expect live entertainment, arts and crafts, guest presentations, and dazzling displays that are sure to impress.
 
There will be a costume contest for the best mushroom inspired outfit, with some great prizes. You may also check out our ID table with any burning questions or ID requests for experts to handle. Our raffle will feature prizes from all the vendors of the show and some other cool swag. 
 
See Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FezmKocPE/
 
Admission is $5 and gets you access to the whole show for the day. Kids under 12 are free and the venue is wheelchair accessible. The poster, which was made from photos from our most recent Manning excursion (big thanks to Pete), is attached below. Please share with your circles!
 
Call for specimens!
Every year, the show displays are filled to the brim with an array of fungal diversity from the surrounding areas. Our members typically gather these samples in the days before on excursions and bring them to our venue for experts to identify and showcase. Once again, we need you to help us show the public the fungal abundance the Lower Mainland has to offer. The more the merrier!
 
We cannot stress enough that the mushroom display is the most important element of our event. Showcasing identified specimens to the public is crucial in educating showgoers in a hands-on way. 
 
Fungi can be dropped off at Floral hall on the 25th from 5pm-9pm OR before the show on the 26th no later than 9:45am.

Next Meeting: October 14th

The Names They Are a-Changin'
by Andy MacKinnon and Kem Luther
 
Andy MacKinnon and Kem Luther, authors of the Mushrooms of British Columbia, will be doing a slide presentation about discoveries, changes, and surprises in the BC mushroom scene over the last two years. They will chat about some scientifically interesting local finds and about the bleeding edge (it hurts!) of what is happening in fungal taxonomy and sequencing.
 
Andy Mackinnon is a forest ecologist who lives in Metchosin, BC and co-author of six best-selling books about plants and fungi of Western North America, including Plants of Coastal British Columbia and recently, Mushrooms of British Columbia. He is President of the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society (SVIMS), and an enthusiastic participant, speaker and field trip leader for various mushroom festivals each autumn.
 
Kem Luther is a writer, former professor, and renowned naturalist who grew up in the Nebraska Sandhills and now lives on Vancouver Island. Many books and publications have blossomed from Kem’s interests in the natural history of his British Columbia home, including: Boundary Layer (Oregon State University Press, 2016) and the new Mushrooms of BC (BC Museum Press, 2021).
 
We are so pleased to have these two back in Vancouver for this special evening.
 
Tuesday October 14th, 2025 @ Floral Hall, VanDusen Gardens (5251 Oak St.)
Doors at 7pm, Talk at 7:30pm
 
Please make sure you come at 7 to check out our display, ask questions, mingle, have your books signed, and grab a poster for our upcoming show!
 
As always, we would love to see your specimens at our monthly mushroom table for identification and admiration. Be sure to check out what unique and abundant Fall finds are at our very exciting October display. Let's make this the best specimen table yet!

Love the talk? Your VMS membership allows you to access an archive of several past talks on our website for your marathoning pleasure. As always, masks are encouraged in indoor spaces and for all in-person events!

Introducing MycoMap BC: A DNA Sequencing Project 

We're excited to announce MycoMap BC, a project aimed at documenting fungal and slime mould biodiversity in British Columbia. Through a partnership with Mycota Lab, free, year-round DNA sequencing for mushroom and slime mould collections is available to anyone in BC. Your contributions will help us better understand the unique biodiversity of our province. 

How to Participate 

We invite mushroom enthusiasts, backyard collectors, and mycologists to help us collect thousands of specimens from all regions of BC. Here’s what you'll need to get started: 

  • A collection box 
  • An iNaturalist account and a camera or phone 
  • A food dehydrator 

Once your collections are dried, you’ll ship them to our Victoria, BC collection point. We are currently accepting all collections made in 2025. 

For detailed protocols, FAQs, and shipping instructions, please visit 

mycota.com/the-mycomap-bc-network/. You can also find a link to our iNaturalist project and a form to receive the mailing address for your specimens. 

Launch Event 

Join us for a virtual launch event and celebration on September 16th at 7 PM via Zoom. The event will feature guest speakers including Stephen Russell of Mycota Lab and Andy Mackinnon and Kem Luther, authors of Mushrooms of BC. They will discuss the importance of DNA sequencing, followed by an overview of the collection protocol. There will also be a Q&A session. Register for the event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/l0L8ztPTQjGI4cvxq17-fA 

We will also be hosting an online mycoblitz from September 17th-24th in hopes of hitting our first 1000 specimens! Join our iNaturalist project (linked on website below), and start making collections to join our leaderboard. 

Project Support & Contact 

This project is supported by the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society, the BC Biodiversity Program, the Metchosin Foundation, Whistler Naturalists, SERAL (Society for Education, Research and Arts on the Land), and the Vancouver Mycological Society. 

For any questions or to offer support, please contact project coordinators Elora Adamson (elora.adamson@svims.club) or Ann McCall (ann.mccall@svims.club). 

Happy collecting! 

We are pleased to officially announce the VMS Discord Server – an additional community space for you to hang out with and learn from your fellow mushroom enthusiasts.

Logged in VMS members can view vanmyco.org/discord and join the server

New Blog Posts: Detailed histories and more!

Stuck inside? We've got lots of new articles for you to read. Enjoy!

A History of Mushroom Cultivation in BC - by Paul Kroeger

Four Decades of Vancouver Mycological Society: How mushrooming in BC has changed - by Paul Kroeger

Health and safety issues concerning commercial marketing of Edible Wild Mushrooms in British Columbia - by Paul Kroeger

BC’s Truffle Industry: The Next Frontier is Underground - by Rosi Hunter

Get on our Instagram feed

Spotted a cool mushroom? Share it with the club (and the world) by using the hashtag #vanmyco. Your pictures will automatically appear in the feed below.

Please note: this is not an identification service, but a way for club members to easily share their unique vision of fungi.