HOOD RIVER — Did you know that mushrooms are more closely related to humans than plants? Well, Krista Cushman does, along with an encyclopedia of tips and tricks to help you identify them in the wild.
The Columbia River Gorge enthusiast, mycologist and Hood River educator shared an abundance of fungal facts and woodsy wisdom at the Columbia Center for the Arts on Nov. 12 — the second lecture in Mt. Adams Institute’s Sense of Place Season 16.
STEVENSON — Using forty varieties of fungi to make 825 vibrant natural pigments, dyes and paints, Julie Beeler expresses and educates using mushrooms for color. Beeler exhibits at the Columbia Gorge Museum in Stevenson, October 12 through November 22.
The negative side of having snow on the ground for a record number of days is the emergence of snow mold, a fungus that thrives in a cold, dark environment. Harsh weather also encouraged the growth of another fungal disease, stripe rust, which is airborne and so spreads easily.
CORVALLIS — Amphibian populations are declining worldwide and a major cause is a deadly fungus thought to be spread by bullfrogs, but a two-year study shows they can also die from this pathogen, contrary to suggestions that bullfrogs are a tolerant carrier host that just spreads the disease.
