After just four months of planning by the Westchester Land Trust, the Bedford Audubon Society, Westchester County Parks, the Department of Environmental Conservation and a host of other groups and devoted individuals guided ably by naturalist Brian Bielfelt - the Westchester Bioblitz went off without a hitch. During a 24 hour a period spanning three days several teams of scientists, experts and volunteers set out to document as many species of plants, animals, insects, trees, ferns, lichens, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, worms, nematodes and fungi as possible on six preserves in the northern Westchester region. By all preliminary accounts, the venture was a success and will provide a baseline from which to judge the future diversity and health of these sites as well as provide data for further planning and protection.

Although the beginning of June is a difficult time to find much in the way of fungal fruiting bodies, we actually did manage to record about 80 different species. These included all the 'usual suspects', the saprophytic wood-decaying brackets, Xylaria polymorpha and friends and lots of Megacollybia platyphylla and Agrocybe acericola. One of us (Ed Bosman) found the last morel of the season. Thanks to Roz Lowen, we found the tiny Swamp Beacon, Mitrula lunulatospora, as well as a teeny white cup fungus called Dasyscyphus virgineus and the 'other' eyelash cup, Scutellinia erinaceus (also known as Scutellinia setosa). The most spectacular discovery was made by Carol Gracie, plant author and photographer, on the Bedford Audubon property. It was of the rather uncommon Polyporus umbellatus. After we documented and recorded its existence, and finished ooing and aahing over its beauty and uniqueness, we had our pictures taken with it. It seemed like a perfect bridal bouquet - fitting for a mycophile anyway. Then, rather than allow this perfect specimen to deteriorate, we took it home, sliced and cooked it up and ate it! Now I know what the word 'choice' means to a mycophagist!

Our fungal team could not have achieved what we did without the help of mycologist Roz Lowen and mushroom expert Ed Bosman, who accompanied us on almost all the walks throughout the three days and also manned the microscopes. Todd Osmundson, a Columbia University graduate student working with Roy Halling at the NYBG, also joined us on Saturday. From our club, Don Shernoff was there with me from start to finish. COMA member and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation naturalist Taro Ietaka joined us on walks whenever he could, helping us particularly with identification of the slime molds. New member and nature writer, JJ Murphy worked both Saturday and Sunday, as did web-master Karen Spiak, Zaac Chavez (who found a Cordyceps militaris as well as several other unique specimens), and COMA's Friendship Ambassador George Johanson. Other members who helped out included Damon Brunette, Lou Tataro, and Al Turi, Alex Serebrennik and Svetlana Vigdorchik as well as Lisa Solomon and the entire Hersh family. Caleb even identified a miniscule mushroom in moss correctly as Hygrocybe cantharellus - confirming with Ed Bosman that this specimen did indeed perfectly match its description in Gary Lincoff's 'Audubon Guide to the Mushrooms of North America'.

Click each photo to see a larger version.

Dianna