Happy mushroom season!

For our next monthly meeting (October 6 at 7:00 PM), we will take a virtual trip to the tropical and welcoming lands of Puerto Rico!

Before we immerse ourselves in the warm visions of fungi, we will feature:

• Club Welcome, Save the Dates, & Fungi in the News – President Tom McCoy

• Sequanota Recap – Matt Cohen and a representative from the planning committee

• Mushroom Fair News – Vice President Allen Perper

• ID Table – Using observations from our iNaturalist project, led by MAWDC Foray Chair Jennifer Fieffer

• Cosca Bioblitz report – Programs Chair, Serenella Linares, will share the success of the Cosca bioblitz and the club's efforts to increase biodiversity knowledge for 2027

Featured Presentation: Exploring Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Diversity in Puerto Rico

Description:

This talk will provide an overview and introduction to ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal diversity in Puerto Rico, including what we know, what we don't, and what Ari has learned during his studies so far. You will learn about the diverse landscapes of Puerto Rico, the native ECM host plants, and the mysteries of their fungal symbionts that are waiting to be uncovered, including their taxonomy and biogeography.

Speaker Bio:

Ari Puentes is an avid naturalist, community science enthusiast, and mushroom-obsessed nerd who is currently a PhD student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He grew up in North Carolina and attended college at the University of North Carolina Asheville, where he quickly became enamored with fungi after being exposed to the incredible diversity of the Appalachian Mountains. He was an active member of the Asheville Mushroom Club (AMC), and as part of his undergraduate research, he formed a collaboration between the AMC and his university to create the UNC Asheville Fungarium, the first dedicated fungal collection in western North Carolina.

After completing his bachelor's degree, Ari moved to Puerto Rico to connect with his culture and complete an internship in the rainforest studying climate change and tropical fungi in leaf litter. He quickly fell in love with the island and with learning more about its fungal diversity, which inspired him to pursue this topic for his PhD thesis. Whenever he is not in the field or lab, he enjoys taking his cat, Amanita, on hikes and painting (usually mushrooms).

See you then!

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