Sam's Corner
Third Quarter of 2003
Topics
In Memoriam Jaro Konecny
Early finds, May, etc:
Original Members
In Memoriam Jaro Konecny
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My special friend and longtime member of MMA Jaro Konecny died April 30. Jaro was born in Bosnia in 1911. He was educated at a maritime academy and naval officer school, from which he graduated as a naval officer. After his ship was torpedoed he came to Maine.
He was a remarkable person with many talents, affiliations, accomplishments, as well as receiving many awards. Here is a list - 1) He was a Maine Guide and a member of the National Maine Guide Association. 2) His interest in nature led him to co-organize the Naturalist Guild, and he became editor of its newsletter. 3) As an ethnobotanist, he taught courses on survival. 4) He spent 20 years in the Boy Scouts of America and he helped organize the Handicapped Scout Program. 5) He received the Silver Beaver and St. George awards. 6) He helped form the Ginseng Society of Maine. 7) He was listed in Who’s Who in Consulting.
Jaro left a sizeable library of books on ethnobotany and mycology. I presented the library at Strong with The Audubon Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, by Lincoff, in his memory. Linda and Michael DuBois, his special friends, donated the following books to the MMA Library in his memory: The Mushroom Cultivator, a practical guide to growing mushrooms at home, Stametz;. Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, Stametz; Mushrooms Demystified, Arora.
I had a special fondness for Jaro because when his friend Steve Drane and I visited with him, it gave me an opportunity to speak with him in Serbian - especially of vernacular names of plants and fungi.
His friends suggest that monetary donations be made in his memory to the Mt. Abram Cemetery Association, c/o Charles Howard, RR1, Box 727, Strong, ME 04983, noting that you are a member of the Maine Mycological Association.
Jaro, we may meet one day along the galactic way and share our discoveries - Special friend, Sava (my Serbian name)
Early finds, May, etc:
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A few people found morels, and Marie found Caloscypha fulgens, another ascomycete in moss. We also found Dryad’s Saddle, Clorox Mycena, Haymaker’s Psathyrella, more Flammulina velutipes.
This rain and more coming on the weekend should bring the morels and other early mycological wonderments. Dryad’s Saddle, Polyporus squamosus, is found on dead elm, maple. Not bad eating when very young with magic in the skillet. Collected a batch of Inocybes, which need a name.
Morchella esculenta var. swimmingpoolus has returned!! Do you remember the story I told of finding the large morels along a swimming pool, and naming the variety swimmingpoolus? Well this year they reappeared near the chicken coop, which is on the other side of the pool. What does this find tell us? I am not sure; maybe it is mycorrhizal with some plant, or the spores were cast and it took several years to produce the sporocarp. What do you think?
Maine Med Poison Control said someone in Vermont got very sick eating morels - very strange, even though the specimens were unmistakably Morchella esculenta. Another "crazy" coincidence - I got two reports of "presumed" poisonings of two 2 year olds, one in Blue Hill, which Seanna Annis identified, and one from Biddeford, which I ID’d. Both were Marasmius oreades.
Don’t forget to borrow one of our wood kits for review. Ask Cheryl, Dot and Caryl about doing another wood fungus workshop in October.
Original Members
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Revisiting some original MMA members: Gary Marshall suggested we visit Jo Hesslein and Mimi Orr, who are in retirement villages. Gary brought potted plants, memorabilia, cards, and the recent bulletin for each. I brought a bunch of daffodils.
Mimi had a farm in Windham where we found very special fungi, i.e. a log with giant parasitized Boletus rubrobrunneus, many Amanita caesarea, fairy ring of Gomphus floccosus, and one of the original sites for Amanita ristichii. She also had several giant butternut trees.
I hope some members will send a card or letter now and then. The addresses:
JoAnn Hesslein, Haven Nursing, 126 Scott Dyer Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
Mimi Orr, Village Crossing, 78 Scott Dyer Rd., Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
For those of you who have not bought a copy of Sam’s Corner, the other members in the original MMA group were Carol Adams, Mark Cheetham, Linda Clarke, Kitty Davis, Lauren Emery, Pat & Bill Hutchins, Ellen Klain, Deane Rancourt, Caryl Widdowson, Chris Witt, Diana Libby.
SAM