Let's get together VIRTUALLY! Mark your calendars and get ready to enjoy our October meeting from the comfort of your home! 

• Our President, Tom McCoy, will start us up with meeting business 
• Membership Chair, Tom Moore, will update us with "Fungi In the News"
• Foray Chair, Mitch Fournet, will give us an overview of what is popping up with our virtual ID table, using YOUR observations on the iNaturalist Project
• Culinary Chair, Cindy Connelly Ryan, will delight us with her segment: Fromd the ID table to The Kitchen Table
• Featured Presentation by Barbora Batokova

Title: Understanding Fungi: Morphology, Ecology, Identification, and Key Mushroom Groups 

Description: This in-depth presentation offers an overview of the fungal kingdom, with a focus on macrofungi. We’ll explore ecological lifestyles (mycorrhizal, saprobic, parasitic, etc.) of fungi and the life cycle and general taxonomy of macrofungi. You will learn how to classify fungi based on both scientific and practical criteria, including edibility categories. The session will cover detailed morphological features—such as cap and stipe structures, gill attachment, and texture—and introduce key morphological groups like agarics, boletes, polypores, jellies, tooth fungi, and more. We’ll conclude with eight core principles of identification to support confident and accurate mushroom observation.

Bio:Barbora Batokova (@fungiwoman) is a passionate mycophile, photographer, and educator. She grew up in the Czech Republic, where she developed a lifelong love of mushrooms through family foraging traditions. Now based in Pittsburgh, PA, she explores the fungi of Pennsylvania (and beyond) and combines creative storytelling with striking photography to create educational content that sparks curiosity and fosters appreciation for the fungal world. In April 2024, she published her first book, Hunting Mushrooms: How to Safely Identify, Forage, and Cook Wild Fungi. She currently serves as president of the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club (WPMC)..

Zoom Link:

https://zoom.us/j/96693690911?pwd=YWdyeXh1bHF1N1UyNjNieFovNWFUZz09

Meeting ID 966 9369 0911

Passcode  330827

One Tap Mobile +13017158592,,96693690911#,,,,*330827# US (Washington DC)

Find your local Zoom access number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kQ9hr47WO