DescriptionWith the mushroom season just around the corner, now is the perfect time to learn how to identify common fungi of the Northeast. This lecture is aimed at beginners and will cover tools and terminology, the basics of identifying fungi, and how to differentiate the delicious from the deadly – whether you’re picking for the pot or simply like to put a name to the next mushroom you see. Bring questions for the Q&A!

About Ethan CrensonEthan Crenson received an MFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts in NYC in the 1990s. He runs two companies, a graphic design company and a gallery/publishing house for artists’ multiples. He became interested in fungi about 14 years ago and joined the New York Mycological Society shortly thereafter. He is an active contributor to the club’s five boroughs fungal survey, Gary Lincoff’s effort to inventory the fungal inhabitants of NYC. He has a keen interest in pyrenomycetous fungi and has presented programs on these ‘dots on sticks and scabs on branches’ at NEMF and NAMA forays and on several occasions to the NYMS.     About Sigrid JakobSigrid Jakob is a dedicated recorder of the fungi of Green-Wood Cemetery and Prospect Park. She leads the conservation working group of the Fungal Diversity Survey (FunDiS) and does DNA sequencing of fungi at home. She has a particular interest in Russulas, Amanitas, the Incocybaceae and fungi growing on dung.