BULLETIN OF THE PUGET SOUND MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY Number 455 October 2009 HUNTING TRUFFLES WITH FLIES Brian Luther Both pigs and dogs rely on odor as their clue, and they must be trained with mature truffles or truffle oil to be able to know what Most of you have likely heard that pigs were popular as truffle they’re smelling for to begin with. Then you have to practice over hunting animals, especially during the 19th and 20th centuries. and over with a known hidden source of the With some training, and if appropriately leashed, they aggres- smell and need to abundantly reward the animal sively and reliably seek out and locate hidden truffles by smell. as positive reinforcement when their prey is lo- The problem with pigs is that not only are they good at finding cated. Over time, just about any average pooch, truffles, but they are particularly fond of with their well known extraordinary olfactory eating them as well. So, yes, they’ll hap- abilities, could be trained to locate truffles. pily locate your elusive tuber, but you also However, you don’t have to have a trained animal to find truffles. must be prepared to rein in the animal Luard (2006) gives a delightful account of being taken out by a before it consumes what you wanted to friend in France and being shown how you look for truffles without consume. They also hard on the habitat. In the aid of an animal assistant. The same reference has a great color 1975 Italy banned the use of pigs as truffle photo (p. 151) of people truffle hunting with long handled rakes in hunters because of the destruction they do a second growth Douglas Fir forest some place in the PNW. The when looking for and rooting out truffles photo may be great, but the practice isn’t. It is well known that (Safina & Sutton, 2003). the use of tools such as rakes for tearing away duff around trees That’s why dogs have been considered much more agreeable damages the tree roots, immature truffles that still need time to as truffle hunters because they have no interest in eating these develop, and the environment. subterranean delicacies. They’re perfectly happy to get a good Some people also have good enough senses of smell that they can word, a loving pat from the owner, and a doggy treat as a reward. act as the truffle pig or dog. Hall, Brown & Zambonelli (2007) Renowden (2005) provides a really cute photo of Dr. Alessandra describe and show a picture of a woman on her hands and knees Zambonelli’s dog, appropriately named “Tuberina,” sniffing out successfully finding truffles by smell. I did notice that this lady truffles. was not kept on a leash, however. cont. on page 4 page 1 MEMBERSHIP MEETING Tuesday, October 13, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. at the Center for Urban Spore Prints Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle. is published monthly, September through June by the Our guest speaker for October is the incom- PUGET SOUND MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY parable Taylor Lockwood with his fabulous Center for Urban Horticulture, Box 354115 mushroom photographs, all choreographed to University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (206) 522-6031 http://www.psms.org music. Everyone who has ever seen Taylor’s User name: Password: show raves about it. You won’t want to miss this entertaining, visual guide to the fifth Taylor Lockwood OFFICERS: Patrice Benson, President kingdom. Milton Tam, Vice President John Goldman, Treasurer If your last name begins with the letters A–K, please bring some Denise Banaszewski, Secretary goodies to share after the meeting. TRUSTEES: Brenda Fong, Debra Lehrberger, Cathy Lennebacker, Don Lennebacker, Dennis Notman, Jamie Notman, ART BASED ON MICROWORLD Randy Richardson, Jennifer Slack, Kim Traverse, Jean Zatochill Betty Hageman is a former member and abstract artist who re- Ron Post (Immed. Past Pres.) ceived microscopy training from PSMS. She currently has a show ALTERNATE: Louise Asif, Jim Hughes of her art based on fungi and other life found in microhabitats at SCI. ADVISOR: Dr. Joseph F. Ammirati the Angle Gallery in Seattle’s Tashiro Kaplan Building. Gallery hours and other details can be found at http://www.bettyhageman. EDITOR: Agnes A. Sieger, 271 Harmony Lane, . Port Angeles, WA 98362 com/exhibits.html [email protected] Annual dues $25; full-time students $15 FALL FIELD TRIPS Brian Luther Detailed descriptions of the fall field trips and driv- ing directions were given in the September Spore CALENDAR Prints, which can be accessed on-line at www. Oct. 8 Start of Beginner ID Class First Session, psms.org. Douglas Classroom, CUH An evening or late afternoon potluck meal is Oct. 10 Field Trip, Bowman Bay, Deception Pass planned for all the field trips. Please bring an edible contribution State Park to share, along with wine or beer. Potluck time will be listed on the field trip sign-in sheet. Oct. 13 Membership Meeting, 7:30 p.m., CUH Spore Prints deadline (early) Good hunting! Oct. 16–18 PSMS 46th Annual Wild Mushroom Exhibit, Sept. 26 Soda Springs Campground CUH Yakima Co., elev. 3200 ft ~125 miles from Seattle Oct. 19 Board Meeting, CUH From Enumclaw, SE of Seattle, continue east on State Hwy. 410 Oct. 24 Field Trip, Twanoh State Park over Chinook Pass. About 19 miles past the summit, turn right onto Oct. 31–Nov. 1 PSMS/The Mountaineers Joint Field Trip, Bumping Lake Road (FR 18). About 5 miles farther, turn left into Meany Lodge the camp. A NW Trailhead Pass may be required here. Nov. 7 Nisei Veterans Foray CANCELLED Campsite #6, next to the shelter, is reserved for Saturday and Saturday night. Note that there is a fee. Identifier: Brian Luther October 10 Bowman Bay, Deception Pass State Park BOARD NEWS Denise Banaszewski Skagit Co., ~75 miles from Seattle. John Garfunkel from Global Source Education—a nonprofit that Take I-5 north to Hwy. 20. Go west on Hwy. 20 toward Anacortes. brings educators and community groups together in an effort to Proceed until you see signs for Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, and educate children about humanity and planet-related issues (like Deception Pass. Turn left following Hwy. 20 and continue until sustainability) using their backyard as a classroom—spoke at you get to the sharp left curve by Pass Lake. Turn right just before the board meeting. We are looking into ways we can support this the curve, then make an immediate left down the hill through the organization so that kids will be taught about mycology in school, woods to Bowman Bay. I have reserved one of the shelters for for example by conducting a mushroom class for teachers. The first day use only. Please plan to stay and volunteer to help clean up beginner mushroom ID class is full. Advertising for the Annual at the end of the day. Exhibit will be inside some Metro buses this year—watch for it next time you are on the bus! We need more volunteers for the Day use is free, but you can camp for a fee at several locations Annual Exhibit; please phone or e-mail Debra Lehrberger at (206) throughout Deception Pass State Park, including Bowman Bay. 522-6031 or [email protected] if you can help out. Hosts: Becky & Steve McIntyre. Identifier: Brian Luther page 2 Oct. 24 Twanoh State Park His understanding is that a single blast is also the response to Hood Canal, Mason Co., 20 miles SW of Seattle by ferry hearing three blasts sent by someone in distress. From downtown Seattle, (1) take the Bremerton ferry and follow The International Distress signal can be either three whistle blasts Hwy 3 to Belfair; from there follow Hwy. 106 8 miles west to in rapid succession repeated every minute, or six blasts one after Twanoh State Park. Or (2) take I-5 to Tacoma, cross the Tacoma the other. The response to having heard the six-blast distress signal Narrows Bridge, go north on Hwy. 16 to Purdy, about 12 miles past from someone is to follow up with three rapid whistles. the Narrows bridge, then go west on Hwy. 302 about 20 miles to Hwy. 3, then go north on Hwy. 3 about 4 miles to Hwy. 106, and then go west on Hwy. 106 about 11 miles to Twanoh State Park. FUNGUS-TREATED VIOLIN OUTDOES We will be in Kitchen #2 shelter, the one closest to the large boat- STRADIVARIUS Science Daily, ramp parking lot at the far west end of the park. You can camp in September 14, 2009 the campground directly across the highway for a fee. Again, this is a day use shelter, and we are required to clean up and vacate At the 27th “Osnabrücker Baumpflegetagen” (one of Germany’s the park at dusk. Host: Kitty Loceff . Identifier: Brian Luther most important annual conferences on forest husbandry) on Sep- tember 1, 2009, a “biotech violin” made of wood treated with a Oct. 30–Nov. 1 PSMS / The Mountaineers Joint Field Trip fungus dared to go head to head in a blind test against a stradivarius (Meany Lodge-Crystal Springs) made by the master violin maker of Cremona himself, Antonio This is a joint effort between PSMS and the Mountaineers. For Stradivarius, in 1711—and won! costs, registration, and additional information, visit the Mountain- It was a brilliant outcome for Empa scientist Francis Schwarze and eers’ website at http://www.meanylodge.org and click on “Mush- the Swiss violin maker Michael Rhonheimer, who created the new room Weekend.” You can register online or by phone at the Moun- violin from Norwegian spruce treated with the fungus Physipori- taineer Club Headquarters, (206) 521–6000 or 1–800–573–8484.