MCG June 2020 Meeting: Toads and Toadstools

Dr. Tom Volk will be speaking to us from LaCrosse, WI on "Toads and Toadstools: What Old Wives (and Old Husbands) Have To Tell Us About Fungi."

We know Tom is an entertaining and knowledgeable speaker and we specifically asked for something of a more general nature related to mushrooms. His website has a popular "Fungus of the Month" feature, and an extensive introduction to the Kingdom Fungi that is one of the more comprehensive and fun places to learn about mushrooms on the net.

Tom is a Professor of Biology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He teaches courses on Mycology, Medical Mycology, Plant-Microbe Interactions, Food & Industrial Mycology, Advanced Mycology, Organismal Biology and Latin & Greek for Scientists. Besides dabbling in mushroom cultivation, he has worked on the genera Morchella (morels), Cantharellus (chanterelles), Hydnellum (a tooth fungus), Armillaria (honey mushrooms) and Laetiporus (chicken of the woods, or sulfur shelf), as well as several medical mycology projects, prairie mycorrhizae, myco-prospecting, and fungi involved in coal formation. He also has conducted fungal biodiversity studies in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alaska, and Israel. Having lectured in 38 states so far, Tom is a popular speaker at many amateur and professional mycological events throughout North America, including many NAMA and NEMF forays.