How to get your observations noticed

One of the most important aspects of making a good observation is knowing what to include. The NYMS's current president, Sigrid Jakob, made a short video here: https://youtu.be/_SaG4sIx8R0 on what pictures to take and how to take them. Another video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QcLwXqmQ2I by Giuliana Furci, executive director of Fundacion Fungi in Chile (a must-see/listen for the serious collector). I was struck, after listening to this, how important Giuliana considers both marking with a unique identifier and measurement. Although it may ruin the "framing" of the picture, apparently having a measurement item in every picture is, according to Giuliana, important.

Please watch the video. Take accurate in-focus pictures. And, if warranted, perform any other tests on the mushroom. In some instances, taste, smell, texture, etcetera are important, get to know what is important for each of the species you are looking at.

The FunDiS (Fungal Diversity Survey) project is an excellent place to learn and contribute. Join the project (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fundis-fungal-diversity-survey), add your non-blurry pictures to it - help out. (https://fundis.org/).

Join Projects on iNaturalist that pertain to your interests and region. For instance, When I was recently in western Massachusetts, I found that there were no iNat projects that covered that area, so I joined
Native Massachusetts Organisms - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/native-massachusetts-organisms
Fungi of the Eastern United States - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fungi-of-the-eastern-united-states
New England's Organisms: Flora, Fauna, Fungi - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/new-england-s-organisms-flora-fauna-fungi
North American mushrooms and fungi - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/north-american-mushrooms-and-fungi

For this project specifically, we are looking for everything listed in the criteria, but also images which are framed well, are eye-catching, and are colorful/different in some way. If the observations are of fruiting bodies that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye, generally a side picture with a slight angle from above (to include the cap) of the fruiting body, in its natural habitat, is both more edifying and more eye-catching. Remember to use a size reference. This type of picture will yield at least the following information:

  • Cap Color
  • Stipe Color
  • Abnormal Stipe Features
  • Abnormal Cap Features
  • Substrate
  • Existence of a Universal Veil - depending on the age of the specimen and angle of the shot
  • Whether or not is bruises easily - if you touch the specimen before taking the picture
  • Etcetera

If you are a member of the New York Mycological Society, fill out the form you received in the email from Sigrid Jakob so we can properly attribute your photos/observations if they are picked as the observation of the month.

Posted on 15 July, 2021 19:35 by tomzuckerscharff tomzuckerscharff