Jon Sommer

Jon received a bachelor’s degree in botany from Humboldt State University and master’s degrees in botany and plant pathology from the University of California, Davis.  He has studied mushroom identification with notable mycologists including Drs. David Largent, Orson K  Miller, Harry D. Thiers, and Daniel Stuntz.  He has led mushroom forays and taught classes on mushroom identification across the U.S. for more than 45 years.  He has been a member of the Colorado Mycological Society since 1993 and currently serves as a Past President and President-elect.

Presentation:

Key features for the field identification of mushrooms and other fleshy fungi.  We will review the various habitats and ecosystems, substrates, and mushrooms relationships with their environment.  We will go on to look at all the major groups of fleshy fungi and the key features that are used to help identify them.  We will review some of the most relevant books and other literature, and how to use the mushroom keys for field identification (without the use of microscopes).