MLCO Foray Report – Dec 1, 2018

Macrofungi of Lane County Oregon

Foray & Microscopy workshop with Noah Siegel and Susie Holmes

On Saturday, December 1st and Sunday, December 2^nd the Macrofungi of Lane County Oregon (MLCO) project sponsored a foray and microscopy workshop lead by Noah Siegel and Susie Holmes. We had a group of 17 including two invited LCC students. On Saturday we went to two spots in the Marcola area. The first, which was at about 1800 feet elevation was rather cold with some snow on the ground. Snow occasionally dropped from the trees onto the umbrellas that many of us were carrying, but that did not dampen any of the enthusiasm of the group. Noah first led us through the process that he utilizes when documenting on INaturalist and collecting specimens. Then we all ventured out to find and document quite a few specimens. We stopped for a shorter time at a lower elevation spot, then decided to head back to LCC to get an early start on the Microscopy workshop.  We first learned how to slice specimens (very carefully) and do simple “squash mounts” with stains. Once we all had something to look at Noah led us through the process of how to examine them using the microscope and what to look for. Sunday’s workshop included some more advanced microscope work in which Molly was very excited about seeing her first clamp connection. Susie also had some prepared slides for novices like myself to examine. The final afternoon was spent in teams going through the full documentation process of some of the specimens we had collected. Here is an example description of a Xerocomellus mendocinensis done by Scott Clarke’s team.  Dr. Bitty Roy also showed us the process for collecting samples to be sent for DNA testing.

Below is a partial list of the specimens collected on Saturday.