2005 gros morne foray
DESCRIPTION
2005 Gros Morne Foray - Killdevil LodgeTRANSCRIPT
FORAYSeptember 22-5, 22005Killdevil LLodgeGros MMorne
September 66-9, 22005Labrador SStraitsLabrador
NEWFOUNDLAND& LABRADOR
An organized event of the Humber Natural History Society<http://www.hnhs.ca/>
SPONSORS:The Department of Environment, & Conservation
Western Newfoundland Model ForestGros Morne Cooperating Association
Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, MUNSeaview Restaurant & CabinsAltius Minerals Corporation
Gros Morne National Park
REPORT OF
Andrus Voitk
CONTENTS
Faculty 1
Participants 2
Program Gros Morne 3
Program Labrador 4
REPORT 5
Highlights 8
Species List 9
What does it all mean? 12
2006 Advance Notice Inside back cover
Logos Back cover
Copies of this Report, the Reports for 2003 & 2004 and Cumulative Species List can be downloaded in pdf form from the mush-room section of the Humber Natural History Society’s web page, <http://www.hnhs.ca/mushrooms/>. Also downloadable is a sneakpreview of the mycology of the Avalon, Avalon Report, in pdf format.
Please feel free to use or circulate any of these documents.Questions - <[email protected]>
All rights reserved© Andrus Voitk
In memoriam
Our hearts go out to Faye Murrin and Judy May, both of whom lost their husbands.
Faye is one of only two professional mycologists in the province and has been an enthusiastic memberof our faculty from the beginning. She was in transit from the Gros Morne to the Labrador foraySeptember 5, 2005, when she was notified that her husband, Joe, died suddenly at home.
Judy and Barry May have been close personal friends and strong supporters of the foray, involved in itsorganization from the outset. Barry died suddenly while at a medical meeting in Montreal just as thisreport was finished. The Report is dedicated to his memory.
May they both rest in peace.
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FACULTY:
GUESTS:Dave Malloch New Brunswick MuseumMachiel Noordeloos Netherlands National HerbariumRoger Smith University of New BrunswickVello Soots Mycological Society of TorontoGreg Thorn University of Western OntarioRod Tulloss The New York Botanical Gardens
LOCAL:Michael Burzynski Biologist, Gros Morne National ParkFaye Murrin Prof of Mycology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St John’sStan Pieda College of the North AtlanticAndrus Voitk Organizer; HNHS
FORAY LEADERS:GuestPat BurchellNancy IronsidePaul ScottNoah SiegelSue Stark
DATABASE, SPECIES LISTClinton Bennett, Michael Burzynski, Anne Marceau, Mart Mäsak, Jim Parsons, Roger Smith,Andrus Voitk, Mirjam Urb, Mark Wilson and many others
REGISTRARS:Maria Voitk, Judy May, Kadri Mäsak
MUSHROOM COOK-OUT CHEFS:Chef-in-Chief: Barry May Assistant: Judy May
LocalBobby HancockCarmen HancockClaudia HanelTracy KeatsAnne Marceau
Barry MayJudy MayDawn TaylorMaria Voitk
FORAY NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR 2005 PARTICIPANTSLois Bateman
Corner Brook [email protected]
Clinton BennettSt Paul’s NL
Diethard BohmeToronto [email protected]
Pat BurchellToronto [email protected]
Michael BurzynskiRocky Harbour [email protected]
Amanda FowlerCapstan Island Lab
Marie GarandCorner Brook [email protected]
Brenda GibsonToronto [email protected]
Jamie GrahamCorner Brook [email protected]
Bobby HancoickForteu [email protected]
Carmen HancockForteau [email protected]
Claudia HanelCorner Brook [email protected]
Pat HaywardRigolet [email protected]
Nancy IronsideOrillia [email protected]
Clara JenniexHumber Village [email protected]
Tracy KeatsForteau [email protected]
John LargentCorner Brook [email protected]
Dave MallochMace’s Bay [email protected]
Anne MarceauRocky Harbour [email protected]
Kadri MäsakSan Rafael [email protected]
Mart MäsakSan Rafael [email protected]
Barry MayHumber Village [email protected]
Judy MayHumber Village [email protected]
Faye MurrinSt John's [email protected]
Machiel NoordeloosGouda, [email protected]
Jim ParsonsCorner Brook [email protected]
Stan PiedaCorner BVrook [email protected]
HaycockPittmanRocky Harbour [email protected]
Muriel PriorPenetanguishene ON
Patch ScottMascot [email protected]
Paul ScottMascot [email protected]
Noah SiegelRoyalston [email protected]
Roger SmithFredericton [email protected]
Vello SootsToronto ON [email protected]
John SparlingToronto [email protected]
Sue StarkWabushene [email protected]
Dawn TaylorForteau [email protected]
Randy ThompsonRocky Harbour [email protected]
Carlo ThornLondon [email protected]
Greg ThornLondon ON
[email protected] Tuach
Corner Brook [email protected]
Rod TullossRoosevelt [email protected]
Mirjam UrbLondon [email protected]
Andrus VoitkHumber Village [email protected]
Maria VoitkHumber Village [email protected]
Mark WilsonSt John’s [email protected]
Marianna WrightToronto [email protected]
Tony WrightToronto [email protected]
Nina ZitaniLondon [email protected]
Bakers Brook Falls
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FRIDAY, Sep 2, 2005
3:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Lomond RoomRegistration
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Lomond RoomWelcome receptionHosted by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador through theMinistry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, The Hon. TomOsborne, MHA, Minister.
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Dining HallSupper
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Conference RoomDave Malloch: Atlantic mycoflora - from boreal to littoral
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Conference RoomRoger Smith: Mushroom photography - satisfying Art &Science with one shot
SATURDAY, Sep 3, 2005
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM, Dining HallBreakfast
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Gros Morne ParkForays
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, Dining HallLunch
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Lomond Room PatioMushroom cook-up
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Dining HallSupper
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Conference RoomMachiel Noordeloos: Entoloma: how to find your way inthis large, diverse and widespread genus
8:00 PM – 8:30 PM, Conference RoomNoah Siegel: Portraits from my neck of the woods
8:30 PM – 9:00 PM, Conference Room
Nancy Ironside: My two mycoplots
SUNDAY, Sep 4, 2005
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM, Dining HallBreakfast
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Gros Morne ParkForays
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, Dining HallLunch
4:30 PM - 5:00 PMTABLES with Machiel Noordeloos
5:00 PM - 5:30 PMTABLES with Greg Thorn
5:30 PM - 6:00 PMTABLES with Dave Malloch
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Dining HallSupper
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Conference RoomRod Tulloss: The Killdevil Amanita
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM, Conference RoomFaye Murrin: Tip of the Iceberg - Mycorrhizals in ourother National Park
MONDAY, Sep 5, 2005
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM, Dining HallBreakfast
9:00 PM - 9:30 AMTABLES with Dave Malloch
9:30 PM - 10:00 AMTABLES with Machiel Noordeloos
10:00 PM - 10:30 AMTABLES with Greg Thorn
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Gros Morne ParkID Forays
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Outside ParkForays for the Pot
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, Dining HallLunch
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Conference RoomWrap-up & Thank you
PROGRAM — GROS MORNE
TUESDAY, Sep 6, 2005
6:30 PM - 6:45 PM, Northern Lights Inn - L'Anse au ClairWelcome, introductions, presentations, information
6:45 PM - 7:45 PM, Northern Lights Inn - L'Anse au ClairSupper
7:45 PM - 8:45 PM, Northern Lights InnVello Soots: Mushrooms of Ontario and other Faraway Places
8:45 PM - 9:30 PM, Northern Lights InnAndrus Voitk: Introduction to Mushrooms 101
WEDNESDAY, Sep 7, 2005
10:00 AM - 12:30 PMSaddle Island, Red BayForay
12:30 PM - 1:00 PMLunch
1:00 PM - 4:00 PMForays (Trails 1-5)
6:30 - 7:30 PM, Seaview Restaurant - ForteauSupper
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM, Seaview RestaurantMachiel Noordeloos: Boletes - How to recognize the principal genera andgroups within the genera in the northern temperateforests
8:30 PM - 9:15 PM, Seaview RestaurantAndrus Voitk: Mushroom Identification 101
THURSDAY, Sep 8, 2005
9:00 AM - 2:30 PMForays (Trails 6-10)
4:00 PM - 4:30 PMTABLESVello Soots
4:30 PM - 5:00 PMTABLESMachiel Noordeloos
5:00 PM - 5:30 PMTABLESVello Soots
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Oceanview Restaurant - West St.ModesteSupper
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM, Oceanview Restaurant - West St.ModesteNoah Siegel: Prizewinners from NL 04
7:30 PM - 8:15 PM, Oceanview Restaurant- West St.ModestRoger Smith: Mushroom photography with a digital camera
8:15 PM - 9:15 PM, Oceanview Restaurant- West St.ModesteWrap up & Thank you
FRIDAY Sep 9, 2005
9:00 AM - 9:30 AMTABLESMachiel Noordeloos
9:30 AM - 10:00 AMTABLESVello Soots
10:00 AM - 10:30 AMTABLESMachiel Noordeloos
PROGRAM — LABRADOR
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REPORT
This year’s Foray was a double event, with aGros Morne Foray over Labour Day week-end, Sept 2-5,at Killdevil Lodge and a Labrador Foray Sept 6-9 alongthe Labrador Straits. As in past years, the Foray wassponsored by The Humber Natural History Society, aidedby its several kind partners: The Department ofEnvironment & Conservation, The Hon Tom Osborne,Minister, Gros Morne National Park, Gros MorneCooperating Association, the Western NewfoundlandModel Forest, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College of MemorialUniversity, Seaview Restaurant & Cabins in Forteau andAltius Minerals Corporation.
43 mushroom enthusiasts foraged the autumn woods ofspectacular Gros Morne Park and 35 the stunningLabrador coast for species to be identified with the help ofexperts. Over one-half of the participants were veteransof our previous forays, while newcomers came fromCalifornia to Holland and all over our province; inLabrador we were joined by 7 Labradoreans. The Faculty
was made upby experts fromHolland, theUSA, mainlandCanada andour local cadreof mycophilesand mycolo-gists.
As in previousyears, theForay openedwith a receptionby the Depart-ment of Envi-ronment &Conservation.Presentationsof books, mapsand other me-
morabilia were made to the out of province guests fromGros Morne Park. All registrants received a handsomeregistration package from the Department.
Small teams, under expert leadership, went forth intoselected trails, foraging for mushrooms. Nature had co-operated, for the woods were bursting with fungi and theweather was pleasantly sunny in both locales..Killdevil obliged, as always, with the command perform-ance of a local bull moose in the evenings, giving visitorsplenty of opportunity for extemporaneous portrait photog-raphy.
As has become our custom, foragers were very diligent
about the use of collecting slips - virtually no specimencame in without a slip. Specimens were sorted withattempt to identify at least to genus. These were submit-ted to the experts’ eagle eyes and authenticated speci-mens taken to the exhibition hall. Despite all this help, theexperts were still kept busy into the night, seeking to final-ly pin a name on some elusive and pesky little mush-
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rooms, using microscopes, chemicals, tomes of booksand each other for consultation. The experts’ life had beenmade harmoniously interesting in Labrador, where thelab was attached to the lighthouse. The lighthouse, inturn, was attached to the foghorn. And the foghorn shookthe whole building with its basso belcanto every 45 sec-onds, all day long. When they wanted a break from iden-tifying to such accompaniment, they could go and liedown in their bunk, which was 50 paces from the light-house. It provided a pleasant change to be able to con-trast and compare the sound of the foghorn from thesetwo vantage points all day and all night.
Oh, and yes, we actually took the whole group and did atwo hour blitz foray on Saddle Island, shown on the pic-ture, above.
The end result was over 300 mushroom species identifiedfrom the two locales - 208 from Gros Morne and 144 fromLabrador with an overlap of 43. 57% of the species werenew to our forays, bringing our cumulative list over 450.Photography, under the guidance of Canadian naturephotographer Roger Smith continued to be a popularoption. After spending time coaching in the field, Rogerand his Documentation Team photographed all identifiedspecimens, after which voucher specimens were dried forarchiving in the Gros Morne National Park Herbarium.
Barry May and his team once again provided fried mush-rooms for degustation at our traditional mushroom cook-
up both in GrosMorne and Labrador.In addition to ediblesspecifically collectedfor this purpose out-side the Park, all edi-ble copies were sacri-ficed under his knife.This provided the for-agers with enjoyableforums for fellowshipand swapping ofmushroom lore in anotherwise activitypacked week.
The evening scientificprograms provided
varied and informative talks from experts and amateursalike. We had an overview of mushrooms and their placein the biosphere, a discussion of boletes and another ofEntolomata from the World’s Entoloma authority, Machiel
Noordeloos. The current leading Amanita expert, RodTulloss, described a new Amanita species found at ourprevious forays and named by him the Killdevil Amanita(Amanita daimonioctantes). Mushroom photography wascovered both in how-to lectures by Roger Smith as well asexamples by award-winning myshroom photographerNoah Siegel. Vello Soots introduced us to mushrooms ofOntario and Nancy Ironside gave an overview of how shehad documented the mushrooms on her two leisure prop-erties in Ontario. Faye Murrin described her work in TerraNova National Park and Dave Malloch gave an veryinsightful analysis of the relationship of fungal speciesdiversity to the habitats of the Atlantic Coast.
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Photographs in the Report by Roger Smith, Michael Burzynski, Jamie Graham, Judy May and Andrus Voitk.
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A few observations, before starting to enumerate Latinnames. Part of the joy a foray brings is from the smallpleasures, small discoveries, possibly even minor littlevictories, associated with the search. Many of these aredifferent for each person, sowhat follows must be con-sidered a partial listing only.
For most of us, findingsomething new, somethingnever before described, is athrill. At least 5 new taxawere collected. Of course,we had the usual spate ofnew Amanitas, NFL 09-11from Rod. Not bad, up to 11new species in three years!
To Machiel we supplied atleast 2 undescribed Entolomas. Found on the last morningin the Labrador sand dunes was a dark and roughEntoloma, provisionally namedEntoloma dunicola. On the Killdevilgrounds we collected an Entoloma,which we had been unable to identify toour satisfaction last year. Well, no won-der, for we tried to fit this undescribedspecies with a name for one alreadydescribed! We decided to name this oneprovisionally Entoloma enelense, the en(N) el (L) signifying either New-foundLand, Newfoundland andLabrador, NeederLand (NetherLand,Machiel’s native land) or NoordeLoos,take your pick!
Labrador provided particular pleasure in
serving up a spate of Omphalinas, even ifI am not entirely confident we are totallyfamiliar with them on an individual basisyet. A particular joy was to find both of theyellow Lichenomphalias, L. hudsonianaand L. alpina, and at low elevations at that.A small Clitopilus, C. scyphoides was athrill, with its bakery smell of flour. Butthe highlight must be finding a truffle inLabrador! See if you can find it in the list!
Sometimes the victories are even smaller -the realization that you recognizeCortinarius acutus from last year, or find-
ing another Killdevil Amanita and finding you know themon sight, or the sudden discovery that you found some-body with like interests. Or the catch in your breath uponviewing spectacular scenery. For some it was the closest
ever to a live wild moose -and getting him on video!
Or how about this: Daveworks on a tiny Coprinusand finally identifies it asone hitherto known fromonly one small location inHolland. He turns to its orig-inal descrining authority forconfirmation and Machielconfirms it! Wow! Littlevictories make the excite-ment.
For me the highlight was the people, for they truly madethe foray.
A TRUFFLE IN LABRADOR&
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Entoloma NLense, nom. prov, spec. nov.
Entoloma dunicola, nom. prov, spec. nov.
A
truffle
in Labrador, not a rabbit dropping... For good
ness sake!
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Agaricus bitorquisAgaricus silvicolaAgrocybe erebiaAmanita albocreataAmanita bisporigeraAmanita daimonioctantesAmanita elongataAmanita flavoconiaAmanita groenlandicaAmanita muscaria var. guessowiiAmanita NFL 06Amanita NFL 09Amanita NFL 10Amanita NFL 11Amanita porphyriaApiosporina morbosaArmillaria ostoyaeArrhenia retirugaAsterophera parasticaAuricularia judea
Bankera violascensBisporella citrinaBolbitius vitellinuBoletus edulisBoletus subtomentosusCalocybe carneaCantharellus cibariusCantharellus lutescensCantharellus tubaeformisChalciporus piperatusChlorociboria aerugi-nascensChrysomixa rhododenariClavaria argillaceaClavaria purpureaClavariadelphus ligulaClavariadelphus truncatusClavulina cristataClavulinopsis fusiformisClitocybe clavipesClitocybe dealbataClitocybe deceptivaClitocybe maximaClitocybella familia
Clitopilus prunulusClitopilus scyphoidesCollybia cirrhataCollybia tuberosaConocybe fimetariaConocybe lacteaConocybe pilosellaConocybe teneraCoprinus comatusCoprinus epichloeusCoprinus niveusCortinarius acutusCortinarius armillatusCortinarius balteatusCortinarius camphoratusCortinarius cinnabariusCortinarius claricolorCortinarius croceusCortinarius everniusCortinarius huronensisCortinarius integerrimusCortinarius limoniusCortinarius malicoriusCortinarius paleaceus
NOTE:
1. Taxonomy in Barron: Mushrooms of Ontario and Eastern Canada has been followed, where possible. Where it made sense, orwhere experts urged us, more recent convention has been adopted; common usage or sense has been followed for species notnamed in that book.2. Names in green were exclusive to Gros Morne; names in blue were exclusive to Labrador; names in red were common to bothlocations.4. Names in bold print denote new species this year.5. List tentative - further study may cause revisions
SPECIES LIST301 SPECIES
Developed by Michael Burzynski & Andrus Voitk with plenty of help from the Faculty and the Documentation Team
Authenticators: Dave Malloch, Faye Murrin, Machiel Noordeloos, Vello Soots, Greg Thorn, Rod Tulloss, Andrus Voitk
A splitting headache
A persistent yellow
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Cortinarius purpurascensCortinarius rubellusCortinarius semisanguineusCortinarius traganusCortinarius trivialisCortinarius tubariusCortinarius vibratilisCortinarius violaceusCudonia circinansCystoderma amianthinumDasyscyphus virgineusEntoloma bloxamiiEntoloma dunicolaEntoloma enelenseEntoloma fuscomarginatumEntoloma luridumEntoloma papillatumEntoloma prunuloidesEntoloma rhodopolium var. nidorosumEntoloma sericeumEntoloma subsepiaceumEntoloma turbidumEntoloma xanthoserrulatumFomes fomentariusFomitopsis pinicolaFuligo septicaFuscoboletinus grisellusFuscoboletinus laricinusFuscoboletinus palusterFuscoboletinus spectabilisFuscoboletinus viscidusGalerina atkinsonianaGalerina autumnalisGalerina paludosaGalerina uncialisGeoglossum difformeGeoglossum fallaxGloeophyllum sepiariumGomphus clavatusGomphus floccosusGymnopilus bellulusGymnopilus junoniusGymnopilus penetrans
Gymnopus acervatusGymnopus confluensGymnopus dryophilusHapalopilus rutilansHebeloma crustiliniformeHebeloma mesophaeumHebeloma sinapizansHelvella coriumHelvella lacunosaHelvella macropusHenningsomyces candidusHirschoporus abietinusHydnellum peckiiHydnellum scrobiculatumHydnum repandumHydnum umbilicatumHygrocybe cantharellusHygrocybe chlorophanaHygrocybe coccineaHygrocybe conicaHygrocybe cuspidataHygrocybe insipida
Hygrocybe lacmusHygrocybe lilacinaHygrocybe marginataHygrocybe miniataHygrocybe persistansHygrocybe virgineaHygrophoropsis aurantiacaHygrophoropsis morganiiHygrophorus inocybiformisHygrophorus speciosus
Hypholoma capnoidesHypholoma elongatipesHypholoma elongatumHypholoma ericeumHypholoma fasciculareHypholoma sublateritiumHypholoma udumHypocrea pulvinataInocybe geophyllaInocybe geophylla var. lilacinaInocybe lanuginosaInonotus obliquusJahnoporus hirtusLaccaria altaicaLaccaria laccataLaccaria proximaLaccaria trullisataLactarius affinisLactarius alpinusLactarius camphoratusLactarius deceptivusLactarius deliciosusLactarius deterrimusLactarius glyciosmusLactarius helvusLactarius hibbardaeLactarius lignyotusLactarius mucidusLactarius necatorLactarius pubescensLactarius representaneusLactarius resimusLactarius rufusLactarius subvellereusLactarius tabidusLactarius thejogalusLactarius trivialisLactarius uvidusLactarius vietusLactarius vinaceorufescensLeccinum atrostipitatumLeccinum niveumLeccinum rotundifoliumLeccinum scabrumLeccinum snellii
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Leccinum versipelleLeotia lubricaLeotia viscosaLepiota cristataLepista multiformisLepista nudaLycogala epidendrumLycoperdon ovatumLycoperdon perlatumLycoperdon pusillumLycoperdon pyriformeLycoperdon umbrinumLyophyllum connatumLyophyllum decastesMarasmiellus perforansMarasmiellus vaillantiiMarasmius androsaceusMegacollybia platyphyllaMelanoleuca cognataMelanoleuca melaleucaMitrula gracilisMycena epipterygiaMycena galericulataMycena puraNeolecta irregularisOmphalina alpinaOmphalina belliferaOmphalina hepaticaOmphalina hudsonianaOmphalina oniscusOmphalina velutipesPanaeolus acuminatusPanaeolus campanellaPanaeolus foeniseciiPanaeolus semiovatusPanaeolus sphinctrinusPanellus stipticusPaxillus involutusPhaeolus schweinitziiPhellinus nigricansPhellodon nigerPholiota alnicolaPholiota astragalinaPholiota aurivella
Pholiota squarrosoides
Piptoporus betulinusPleurocybella porrigensPlicaria niveaPluteus cervinusPolyozellus multiplexPolyporus badiusPolyporus elegansPolyporus melanopusPolyporus variusPostia fragilisPseudohydnum gelatinosumPsilocybe coprophilaRamaria abietinaRamaria aureaRamaria batailleiRamaria flavaRamaria flavobrunnescensRamaria obtusissimaRamaria virescensRhizopogon rubescensRhodocollybia distortaRhodocollybia proximaRickenella fibulaRozites caperataRussula adustaRussula albonigra
Russula betulinaRussula brevipesRussula brunneolaRussula claroflavaRussula compactaRussula decoloransRussula emeticaRussula fragilisRussula ochroleucaRussula paludosaRussula peckiiRussula roseaRussula silvicolaRussula variataRussula xerampelinaSarcodon imbricatumSarcodon leucopusScutellinia scutellataSimocybe centunculusSpathularia flavidaStropharia alcisStropharia hornemaniiStropharia magnivelarisSuillus cavipesSuillus grevilleiThelephora terrestrisTrametes hirsutaTremiscus helvelloidesTrichaptum biformeTricholoma fulvumTricholoma imbricatumTricholoma inamoenumTricholoma pessundatumTricholoma sejunctumTricholoma vaccinumTricholoma virgatumTricholomopsis decoraTricholomopsis rutilansTubaria confragosaTylopilus chromapesTylopilus felleusTyromyces chioneusXeromphalina campanella
Newfoundlandhoney
for your honey
Name this Mycena!
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So we found over 300 species in Gros Morne andLabrador Straits, bringing our cumulative species tally toover 450, so what? In fact, we have found about 200mushroom species in the same place each year. However,each year almost half of them were not found the yearbefore and one-third are entirely new. The bars of thegraph show the species of each foray and the line showsthe total of species to date. As you see, it is a straight line.This has been the experience of others as well. The esti-mated total number of species for our province is some-where between 2,000 and 8,000. An optimistic guess sug-gests it will take at least 50-100 years of forays to findthem all.
Clearly, mushrooms are not likemammals, or even plants, wherea complete count is relativelyeasy by comparison. This isimportant knowledge for agen-cies involved in biodiversitysurveys. It is also important foragencies or organizations con-cerned with setting aside areasto protect species diversity - formushrooms, we may neverknow the true diversity.
Another thing our data suggests,is that the fruiting profile is dif-ferent for different habitats.While we may have suspectedas much intuitively and mayreach this conclusion by deduc-tive reasoning, it is still kind ofnice to know that we are generating data that may provethis objectively.
How so, you ask. Well, go back and look at the list. TheLabrador list (blue + red print) has a much larger propor-tion of additions to the cumulative list (indicated in boldprint) than does the Gros Morne list (green + red print).Thus, a different habitat has different mushrooms, since alarger proportion from there is new.
Not convinced? Then look at the proportion of bold printspecies (new to the cumulative list) in red names (speciescommon to both Gros Morne and Labrador). Now com-pare that to the proportion of bold print (new to the cumu-lative list) among the blue names (found only inLabrador). There’s a huge difference. In other words, aspecies found in Labrador AND Gros Morne this time isunlikely to be new but one found in Labrador alone is. So
the fruiting profile of Labrador, collected and identified inthe same week by many of the same people, is quite dif-ferent from that of Gros Morne.
Big deal? Perhaps. This may provide another method ofdefining habitat differences. The trees don’t always tellthe story. The boreal forest looks much the same all over.Yet Dave Malloch said that in 30 years of collecting andstudy, he has NEVER seen many of the species that arecommon in our boreal forest. Consequently he feels theboreal forest must harbour two different habitats, theinland and the coastal boreal forest. Indeed, this seems to
be the case. And the mushroomstold the story. Well, analyzingthe sort of data we generate yearafter year may allow us to reachthe same conclusions withoutthe need of a 30-year experi-ence. This is cool.
The above analysis of our datais in the process of being writtenup for wider distribution. Youheard about it here first. In addi-tion, we may have enough infor-mation to publish a review ofAmanitas in Newfoundland.Undoubtedly some of our newspecies will be reported in thescientific literature. These arejust some of the spin-offs fromour forays. Our data may hide alot more information than weknow. It is public information,
open for review or analysis to anyone.Who knows whatcontributions we will make over the years? So keep it up!
If the foregoing seems a bit complicated, don’t worry. Theprimary purpose of a foray is not to generate data forsome esoteric analyses. The primary purpose is to havefun getting to know the many mushrooms with which weshare our corner of the world. It’s nice to be able to go outin nature and observe what grows there. It’s nice to do soin the company of like-minded people. It’s nice to haveexperts identify for us what we find, in hopes we learn afew more mushrooms each year… However, it is alsokind of nice to know that the data we generate while hav-ing fun, can actually be applied to a purpose beyond mak-ing a longer and longer list of Latin names each year. It’snice to know that what we do can be useful in helping pro-vide more insight into the nature we enjoy. And if we havefun doing it, all’s the greater the enjoyment. N’est-ce pas?
WHAT DDOES AALL TTHIS DDATA MMEAN?
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FORAY2006
Advance Notice
Avalon PeninsulaLavrock Centre
Sept 15-17, 2006
Mark your calendars!
NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
Please check this spring for details on our web site <http://www.hnhs.ca/mushrooms/>.If you want a brief preview of the Avalon’s mushrooms, download Avalon Report from the site.
The first two years we chose unidentified mushrooms forour logo, partly to illustrate the many undescribed andunique mushrooms available for discovery inNewfoundland & Labrador and partly for their simplebeauty - an Amanita in 2003 and a Mycena in 2004.
Because bogs are an integral part of our landscape, a bogmushroom seemed suitable for our permanent logo, a fit-ting symbol of our land. Perfect symmetry, balanced formand understated but elegant colour made the beautiful
Omphalina gerardiana the choice for our permanent logo.
As with many mysteries, time has offered a solution to ourunidentified mushrooms. Dr Rod Tulloss has identified theAmanita of our first year, based on examination of similarmushrooms from the same area, as A. groenlandica. Afterthree years’ search, the mystery Mycena was found againin 2005, and this time identified as M. overholtsii.
Ironically, while we found out what the unidentified mush-rooms were, we also found out that we really didn’t knowwhat the identified one was. In 1836 Berkeley described asmall scaly-capped mushroom in sphagnum of Englishbogs, naming it Agaricus sphagnicola. In 1873 Peckdescribed a similar mushroom from sphagnum in NorthAmerican bogs under the name Agaricus gerardiana. Thecreation of more genera had these mushrooms flit fromgenus to genus, flirting with Clitocybe for a while andeventually stopping at Omphalina. Subsequent compar-isons have led mycologists to believe these were thesame mushroom, in which case the species epithet re-verts to the earlier name, O. sphagnicola. Enter the age ofDNA: most Omphalinas were reclassified and new generacreated to accommodate them all. Our mushroom wasreassigned to the genus Arrhenia, thus A. Sphagnicola.
The story does not end here! In 1960 Orton described asimilar but darker mushroom, calling it O. fusconigra.Because its colouring was much more interesting thanthat of the standard issue A. sphagnicola, this dark onewas the very mushroom we chose for our logo. SinceOrton’s description, it has flip-flopped between speciesand variety, with variety enjoying current favour. Thus, thecorrect nom-du-jour for the mushroom on our logo isArrhenia sphagnicola var. fusconigra. Who knows whatthe morrow will bring?
The Newfoundland pine martin (Martes americana ssp.atrata), now an endangered species, is the logo of theHumber Natural History Society. It is an obvious symbol ofthe fragility of our natural environment and our need toknow something about it in order to preserve it. Whilethere is a list of endangered animals and plants, updatedthrough constant monitoring, there is none for mush-rooms, because nobody knows which mushrooms evengrow here. We hope our Forays will help to correct someof these deficiencies.
LOGOS