The 8th annual Central Walbran Mycoblitz was not in the unprotected Central Walbran this year as we are still being excluded by a logging company gate. We moved the event to the north entrance to the park, the area there had never before been mycologically surveyed.

The weather was sunny and surprisingly chilly at night for the campers who made the journey. The forest is mostly flat flood plain with large Sitka Spruce fringing the West Walbran River as it heads toward Anderson Lk. There was as expected for a maritime rainforest a lot of fungus in October with almost 300 specimens collected. Please email the FoCW if you require the species list.

Around the campfire the first night a report was given on the results of last years Central Walbran myco survey as the DNA sequencing on some of the finds had taken longer that usual. There were 97 species identified, 16 of which had never before been found in BC before and of those 2 were new to science.

One of these was a Cordyceps mushroom; their life process includes infecting a host insect causing it to climb to a higher point, this particular one was found under a Salal leaf. Here the insect grips the leaf while the mushroom fruits through its body and sporeulates. The higher vantage point giving a better wind dispersal for its spores. It seems this mushroom family is found outside the more tropical forests!

Thanks again to Juliet and James and to Vail for his work on sequencing, and to Ash. and Alora who couldn’t make it this year.  And to everyone else who came and shared stories around the campfire and walked looking for the wonders of the forest in the chilly autumn air. Until next year.