Subject: Re: Mushrooms
Date: Sep 23 07:30:55 1995
From: Thomas Love - tlove at calvin.linfield.edu


OK, in this uncharacteristic tweeter-pause (does this have to do with the
stable high-pressure system over us the last week or so? And when will
this break?), I wanted to follow on Irene Wanner's note that some birders
may be out collecting mushrooms.

How many tweets collect mushrooms? Which species most collected? Where
do you go?

I'm co-directing a research project on the Olympic Peninsula trying to
get a handle on who's out collecting mushrooms there, esp. chanterelles,
either commericially or recreationally. There's some interesting ethnic
tension hiding behind the rhetoric of "outsiders" coming to pick "our"
mushrooms, as many locals are arguing.

If you're interested in this topic I'd be glad to discuss.

Puget Sound Mycol. Soc. hosts their annual fall show in Seattle on 21/22
October - a nice display of the many species occurring in Cascadia.

BTW (and not just to make this directly bird-related :)), does anyone
know of any case of birds consuming a mushroom fruiting body? Given that
they're nutritionally pretty poor, I would think not (I've never seen
a bird eat a mushroom). But they do contain some trace minerals. Also,
the more heavily scented ones may attract some interest (a la truffles
and flying squirrels). Deer will often chew boletes.

Cheers.

Tom Love 45N, 123W
Dept. Soc/Anth
Linfield College
McMinnville, OR 97128
tlove at linfield.edu
tel: (503) 434-2504