What a fabulous weekend! It was packed with forays, presentations, workshops, and great company.

Leading up to the event, I was worried Sundre might be a bust for mushroom hunting—Southern Alberta had been hit with terrible weather this year, unlike the regions west of Edmonton. But the mushroom gods stepped in, delivering all the essential rainfall we needed right before the event… and quite a bit during it! No one was complaining, though, as we discovered an astounding variety of fungi, all of which have been uploaded to iNaturalist.org.

We were extraordinarily fortunate to welcome David Arora all the way from California. The legend himself elevated the weekend with a captivating talk on mushrooms in China. A huge thank-you goes out to his partner, Wendy, for her incredible help in bringing everything together. We were also thrilled to be joined by Tyson Ehlers, Paul Kroeger, Elora Adamson, Martin Osis, and Michael Schulz, who all contributed immensely through their expert talks, workshops, and shared knowledge.

Of course, this event couldn’t have happened without the tireless dedication of our volunteers. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to ensure everything ran seamlessly!

Lastly, thanks to Simon Metke for his incredible artwork that is featured in this article.

Foray Sites:

We surveyed 16 sites ranging from right in Sundre to as far away as Eagle Lake in the Ya Ha Tinda region. Here is a complete list of every site visited:

• Early Bird 1 – Burnstick Lake
• Early Bird 2 – William J. Bagnall Wilderness Park
• Early Bird 3 – Wild Horse Provincial Recreation Area
• Foray 1 – Ya Ha Tinda/Eagle Lake (All-Day Foray)
• Foray 2 – Bentz Lake Natural Area
• Foray 3 – GRL38497 (Grazing Lease)
• Foray 4 – Introductory Class Foray in Sundre
• Foray 5 – Bearberry PrairieNatural Area
• Foray 6 – Sundre NorthNatural Area
• Foray 7a – Red Deer Provincial Recreation Area (All-Day Forays)
• Foray 7b – Burnt Timber Provincial Recreation Area (All-Day Forays)
• Foray 7c – Burnt Timber Oilfield Lease (All-Day Forays)
• Foray 8 – Mahikan Trails
• Foray 9 – Snake Hill Nature Recreation Area
• Foray 10 – Davidson Park, Bergen
• Foray 11 – Sundre Red Deer Natural Area
• Foray 12 – Riverside Trails Alder Close Trailhead
• UV Night Foray – Snake Hill Nature Recreation Area

Finds:

Too plentiful to mention here. You can click the iNat image above for more info, or visit our database where we have logged every species found in the Sundre region.