Intro to Field Mycology

An episode long demanded by you, the audience, Crime Pays But Mycology Doesn't emerges with an intro into fundamentals of field mycology, aka "going around lurking in the woods and looking for fruiting bodies of fungi". With the help of the friendly and kind mycologist Alan Rockefeller, we use a field trip to look for the type locality of a small saprotrophic mushroom species (Pseudobaeospora deckeri) to help explain some of the things to consider when in the field looking for mushrooms, as well as some of the more complex intricacies o genetic sequencing and differences between "old world"(European) and New World (American) species of fungi that are in the same genus. Almost all photos by Alan Rockefeller.
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Thanks, GFY.

[@trashmonster2293]

The greatest sentence I have ever heard and said so calmly too: “They can save you with a liver transplant but a new liver is about $800,000 with instillation.”

[@ashleyshearer9957]

mine is "what woulld happen if you did a line of these spores?"

[@dasja9966]

Money is the least of your problems in that situation. They have to find a matching liver within a few days and livers don't grow on trees. Probably not gonna happen in time.

[@petefromdewoods5157]

Uncle Xi has a Uyghur liver available in 24hours.....

[@better.better]

@@dasja9966 it's no joke either, my father had a friend who got some bad mushrooms. he survived, but was never the same after that. if he had more than a couple of drinks Dr Jekle would turn into Mr Hyde. I remember playing a benefit, and he was on lead guitar, he launched into this amazing solo... problem was, we were trying to transition to another song... he was able to COMPLETELY ignore what everyone else was doing and play his own thing, but he only did that after a couple of drinks. fortunately, the audience never noticed and we closed our set with that. another time he showed up at our house at 9pm on a weekday, already drunk, and my father had to kick him out at 11pm, because we both had to work the next morning. He sat in the driveway and howled like a dog...! That was the last straw for my father, and he was no longer welcome.

[@evilsharkey8954]

There is another treatment that can help save the liver. It’s an extract of milk thistle seed called silibinin. The amatoxin poisons you twice. The first time, it goes through the gut and makes you feel like shit. Then it gets absorbed and somehow passed through the gut again (I don’t know the exact mechanism). People who suffer amatoxin poisoning get a temporary reprieve before the second round of symptoms. On the second pass, it gets into the liver, and if you don’t have some top notch kidneys, the liver is probably toast. Silibinin prevents the reuptake of the toxin. Some doctors have had tremendous success with it, saving six out of seven poisoned family members without the need for transplants.

[@ianmackenzie212]

Jeez nothing is more satisfying than hearing an expert speak

[@hyperstimmed]

it's not their expertise, it's their passion

[@Zogerpogger]

@@hyperstimmed It's both, passion lubricates the reception of expertise

[@The_Crucible714]

@@Zogerpogger Ikr? I feel a brand new bromance blooming, perhaps two! The kernels of knowledge gleaned from these dude’s channels gives me a big bro-ner! *Mush luv.* 🍄‍🟫 😏

[@davidcoghill8612]

Type locality is massively underrated, especially by youtube "expert foragers" who will tell you somethings edible but don't even bother to tell you what country they're in.

[@Acceleratedpayloads]

Never mind the thing that scares me: environmentally specific toxins. Amanita have different ratios of ibotenic acid to muscimol just depending on time of year.

[@mycologymadeeasy5585]

If it wasn't for Alan alot of us civilian mycologists wouldn't exist. He's paved the way. Mush love ❤

[@ArtisticNightmares]

OMG Mush love thats tooo good I love it

[@The_Crucible714]

That’s because they’d eat the wrong funghi and would be pushing up ‘schrooms by now! 🍄😵

[@MycoWizard]

Minor point of clarification: The type locality for Pseudobaeospora deckeri is actually on the UC Santa Cruz campus (But that exact mycelium seems to have died or disappeared).

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

The man himself!!!! Yeah we realized that later this night but I forgot to put it in the captions.

[@terraneaux]

So many mushrooms on that campus... when I went there I could just pick edible mushrooms in between classes.

[@Svveet69]

Mushroom picking is huge here in czech republic. Alot of people go with their families and you see people out picking mushrooms all the time. Its kind if a national pastime

[@VickyDPi]

Classic example of mycophilic vs mycophobic cultures

[@Zogerpogger]

@@VickyDPi Good pun

[@madmachanicest9955]

No so much here in Florida tho. We get lot of them but there toixic and or landscap is vary wild , wet and dangerous so harvesting of mushroom is not really things.

[@The_Crucible714]

Perhaps you might know the species of dry mushrooms my uncle would buy in a specialty shop here in NYC when I was a child. They were rock hard, strung on a cord and sold by the length. I remember them being quite expensive as they were imported (from Poland I believe) but the texture and flavor when they were rehydrated in various dishes was amazing. If I knew the name I’d certainly locate them as the nostalgia quotient and taste would make it worthwhile.

[@bdelta1256]

As a fellow Oaklander I really appreciate your content. I’ve spent so many hours walking along the train tracks in and around oakland, always distracted by the general filth, misery and poverty (not to mention innovative shanty architecture, I mean - I love it here, but you know how it is) - but the other day for the first time I was excited to walk and stop and look at all the plants I could find along the way. Thanks for sharing your knowledge sparking a new way to look at the world around me and put a little more joy into the madness of Oakland life.

[@BryanHocking]

Keep voting in democrats lol

[@mcslender2965]

@@BryanHocking how about I lay with your mother on her left side to giver her a better child than you ever will be?

[@joesephjoestar4449]

@@BryanHocking be like a mushroom and eat shit

[@aprilkurtz1589]

I've had many, many cops tell me that they can't tell whether or not you're wearing seatbelt if they're in their car. So surprise, they were lying. They pulled him over because he had a California license plate, as you said, Joey.

[@mimszanadunstedt441]

Also the dog trick, they can just get the dog to do the trick on command so it doesn't matter what he smells.

[@wes4192]

Theres seat belt cameras these days

[@aprilkurtz1589]

@@wes4192 The average American is on a surveillance camera 238 times a week. So I don't doubt that seat belt cams are here.

[@aprilkurtz1589]

@@capturedflame Are you guys done doing the dozens now? Good!

[@aprilkurtz1589]

P.S. Seatbelts don't do their job a significant amount of the time. "According to the NHTSA, approximately 3 million injuries and 40 thousand fatalities are reported each year from seat belts that fail to perform as expected during motor vehicle collisions. During rollover accidents, failed seatbelts are one of the leading causes of serious injury or death." Nov 8, 2019

[@JaredG_WV]

Old carpets in the woods are usually from discarded dead pets that were wrapped inside. Very commonly buried in shallow graves and dug up by scavengers.

[@NewMoahk]

Interesting, never heard of that tradition.

[@evilsharkey8954]

I thought they were sometimes left from people finding a spot for picnics and hanky panky who didn’t bother to clean up after themselves.

[@fenrirgg]

My dad has left a couple of those during my life.

[@ufc990]

Yeah I've come across a lot of dead dogs digging trenches for waterlines in people's back yards.

[@nickbono8]

Keep hanging out with Alan and joining him on these mushroom hunts! Super interesting stuff!

[@bentley2678]

I really enjoy these long-form style interviews with such knowledgeable people, thanks!

[@Cliffwalkerrockhounding]

That 'odd texture to the cap' at 18:22 is a partly healed feast had by a rodent, most likely a chipmunk, perhaps a squirrel. You can see the marks left by the rodents incisors. The mushroom was much younger at the time it was nibbled. I often look for these marks in the wild to determine which mushrooms are part of the local diet. This and which mushrooms are stored in the branches of trees for winter consumption.

[@BrianOSheaPlus]

I was thinking maybe an insect had eaten into it, but I think you're right. Those do look like rodent incisor bite marks.

[@The_Crucible714]

@@BrianOSheaPlus I remember when visiting my grandparents we’d often go on early morning foraging walks through the forest. While the adults searched for fiddleheads or “fungi du jour” my cousins and I would look for bites taken from toadstools and fairy rings the previous night. The shape would tell us whether a rodent or turtle had been the culprit and a trail of notches often led us directly to the marauding Eastern Box or Wood turtle! The smell of those mossy PA woodlands and the columns of early morning sunlight streaming through the canopy like a cathedral comprise core memories of my early childhood.

[@Cylindropuntia]

Alan is doing such great work. I’ve learned so much from watching his PowerPoint lectures. Thank you for making this video.

[@robbiel296]

where do you find his PowerPoint lectures??

[@Cylindropuntia]

@@robbiel296 I just searched Alan’s name on KZbin. He has done presentations for a number of mycological society functions that are super interesting. Enjoy!

[@collinmc90]

@@Cylindropuntia awesome! I'm gonna check those out thanks!

[@Hambxne]

So glad Alan is back on the channel. The tour of his lab was incredible

[@Hambxne]

@@ericpeterson4038 very true at least r/mycology is a solid community

[@dreamerfishb]

Alan’s lab was the video that brought me to Crime Pays

[@clareryan2640]

Yep, lab tour was inspirational 👍👍

[@PaulCulkin]

Poison Control has Alan on speed dial, he's like a superhero.

[@headfullofacid8088]

You can say that again. The man will be a legend simply based on his research into psilocybin containing fungi. He will be like Stamets and McKenna

[@mahsi03]

Glad to see the mycology on this channel!

[@PENGAmurungu]

You got me onto Alan Rockefeller in the first place and now I'm starting to get into fungi foraying myself, always love to see a new myco vid

[@AlAllerton]

Kinda funny, just the opposite here. I got turned on to this channel CPBBD a few years ago through Alan Rockefeller when he posted pics of some Psilocybe sp Joey found growing in the bay area near an apartment building under some horticultural atrocity. One of my favorite channels now. It's always great when these two pair up for a video.

[@misterhideous920]

Hell yeah! I’d like to suggest weekly Tony and Alan episodes.

[@JHAquatics]

An hour with Alan Rockefeller ! Thank you!!!

[@jolouisd]

Yeeee some more tips and tricks for uploading to inaturalist! Alan going above and beyond with those composite images and lighting. What presentation.

[@chiseldrock]

Just the visual of Allen with the cops....wife and I laughed for 5 minutes!!!

[@kmm129]

Thank Y'all for your efforts.

[@yureituesday]

I am absolutely loving this, thank you

[@daborsht616]

The image of alan just infodumping to a dea agent was peak comedy

[@benjaminlaster3773]

very excited to see more mushroom videos. thanks for the upload and thanks to Alan.

[@allenthibault9523]

Yours and Alan's knowledge a wealth of information. Great work Tony ✌

[@hxctalent]

"So you're like a mushroom fluffer..." -Tony For Pres, 2024

[@Dawt_Calm]

I once entertained the idea of mycology as a hobby, identifying local edible mushrooms. My GF reminded me of the time I put diesel in my gas car by mistake because my attention to details can lag at times. Given the potential for pesky side effects like death, I figured it was a good move to just buy them at a local farm stand.

[@gigi3242]

Thank you Alan, you're amazing. Thanks Tony. Thanks beautiful doggies for watching over the humans.

[@yeswellfrombrittany6907]

"You tell me the police lied to you ?" 😄Precious Nice vid bro, lots of infos and beauty Thank you for the "microbial landscape" New collars as well, very cool

[@russking303]

Yes! I was so hoping you would do a mushroom episode. Alan has confirmed some of my observations on iNaturalist. How cool!

[@jdion79]

So far the Alan episodes are fucking gold. And to learn that magic mushrooms thrive around human disturbance is super fascinating. It's like they want us to eat 'em nice! I gotta give it a go here at some point.

[@saralexi1420]

Id definitely love to see more content about mycology

[@mrmatthewpennington]

It’s hard to distill how much I enjoyed those 52 minutes. A huge respect and thanks for both of your skills and insight. That was the video of 2022 on KZbin already. Keep em coming! ❤️🍄❤️

[@ubmastering]

Amazing episode. Thank you.

[@katiekane5247]

Ya gotta try to get that body cam!!! What a chuckle fest that would be. You gave the agents an education that day. I like the term "fungarium", it's nice. Many thanks guys, I would love for a compassionate mycologist to help an old grandma in Georgia as they restrict my access to confirmed spores 😔

[@AlyxGlide]

Alan has me rolling 😂 So glad y'all recording some chatter & fostering mycology

[@bybeach4865]

I experienced hatching insects in a spice container (Togarashi). I looked it up on the internet, and it gave me the advice for freezing. Good thing to know...

[@KevinsDisobedience]

This guy is the Bubbles of Mycology. Love it.

[@shawnkiesel5349]

You and this guy are a wealth of knowledge..

[@Mastela00]

MY DUDES FUCK YES ALAN AND TONY BACK AT AGAIN

[@ecrivonlunyx]

Thank you! Your jokes and observations help me memorize this life saving info!

[@nicholash.7656]

Amazing! Glad someone else saw it live.

[@pearljamin]

Thank you for your educational yet entertaining videos. You’re a real fun guy

[@maybegoth]

it's usually very hard for me to get through technical content when it comes to botany and mycology, and i must say you do a great job at making it quite digestible and entertaining. by the time the video is over i'm feeling like i could have watched 3 more hours of that

[@ecomandurban7183]

thanks Tony, unbelievably interesting

[@alexhill7305]

Both you and Alan inspired me to get into amateur creeping-around-in-the woods-and-medians for fungi a few years ago, was super stoked you released this. Really nice to see his process for collection and getting those awesome photos.

[@morgan7045]

Speaking of mushroom herbariums, I recently got one that is a collection of European and Japanese prints. It’s called Mushroom Botanical Art by Toshimitsu Fukihara. A beautiful and fascinating book!

[@avryptickle]

So good. Thanks buddy.

[@junglie]

I've eaten those purple ones at the end of your video when i was young, was skeptical when i found them growing under our hedge but my dad picked them & fried them up for us assuring me they were good to eat, Bluets he called them here.

[@generalJWJ]

Thanks for the mycology primer, after 3-4 years of doing pretty much everything else (botany, ornithology, chiropterology, entomology, plant galls) I felt a little bad not knowing any mycology and started getting into that as a new year resolution. It's a little overwhelming though, far more exacting for identification than birding or most botany I've ever done. I probably won't ever reach your friend's level of dedication (I work at a molecular biology lab and we're barely just geared as well as he is for gene sequencing haha) but if in the near future I can get down to the family or genus for most specimens and can recognise the easy species you can tell with the naked eye or a hand lens I'll already be very happy. Anyway cheers and good travels out there Tony.

[@NixonJac]

YESS MORE ALAN! fuck yeah dude my xmas dreams came true, what a great distraction from the living hell of late capitalism

[@EnglishDave6767]

Ahhh, yeah!! Cheers for this! Love seeing you guys talking about Mycology. Dashboard dehydrator for the win. All the best, from the Southern Oregon Coast. 🍄❤️🙏

[@colbymoe8380]

Another banger! Finally broke down and got over myself, supported... Bought some hoodies and long sleeves. Quality is top notch! Thank you!

[@gavinsmith6790]

I’ve been waiting for so long, thank you

[@meta.aesthetica]

Brilliant video, thank you both!

[@MissEwe]

Another awesome upload 👍

[@collinmc90]

I love the way Russulas pop up through the forest floor. they look so majestic. Decades ago in my teen years my friends and I were drunkenly traipsing through the forest and we found these mushrooms that were glowing in the dark, substrate was moss growing on the side of an alder tree. I think we found them in the spring, whidbey island, WA.

[@The_Crucible714]

I’ve always wanted to see those “Jack-O’ Lantern” mushrooms! Whoa.

[@azurelad236]

Hi Tony and Alan....have microscope will travel...very cool.😊

[@theknightsowl946]

MORE WITH ALAN PLS, these are easily the best videos with him out there.

[@ianmackenzie212]

I love these vids my man

[@johnrigley8748]

I love learning from you guys

[@Arelenedhel]

That story with the cops is nuts.

[@The_Crucible714]

Aykm? “Officer Joe Blo from Idaho” probably thought arresting a Rockefeller would guarantee him a chapter reserved in the history books! 🤩😂

[@richardlynch1094]

I am my own type locality, and it follows me wherever I go.

[@sooocheesy]

24:15 A new liver is $800,000 (with installation)

[@The_Crucible714]

Oh - oh - oh - O’Riley… human parts! 😵🤣

[@petefromdewoods5157]

Love it! You two make a great show!

[@petercactus6637]

Foraying mycology - Buzz phrase of 2022. Discovering new mushrooms will be his legacy.

[@b.buster]

thank you alan for coming back on!!

[@TraceyRolandelli]

Wonderful video. Thank you.

[@kitkat2263]

"You're like a mushroom fluffer." 🤣 I swear, hilarious thoughts just fall out of your mouth left and write! You are so funny. Thanks for sharing all the great knowledge and info too!

[@michaelsoares6389]

Thank you Alan for IDing so many of my mushrooms on Inat! Also shoutout to daddy Christan Schwarz, Mushrooms of The Redwood Coast is the best mushroom guide I've read

[@olleythebrit]

Awesome video.

[@samstauder5844]

Alan Rocks!!!!!!

[@russell154]

Completely fascinating. Thank you very much for what you and Alan are doing.

[@mikekov335]

That 52 minutes flew by, loved it all. Been slowly getting into mycology over the last couple of years and became aware of Alan Rockerfeller's name via a Facebook mushroom ID group. Listening to him talk in this format you can see why his opinion is so highly regarded in that community.

[@JH-6]

The best show on TV!

[@GladlyBaked]

Finally! Been waiting ona Collab in Alan's territory. -Rhett😁

[@Travecmo]

Great educational entertainment

[@alexs.3383]

At this point, I don't think I'm ready to know fungi this intimately

[@alexs.3383]

20:05 the Pholiotina are so cute

[@carlosfraile2550]

So interesting and educational

[@raybulloch4173]

This is awesome and I love it.

[@B30pt87]

SO COOL! I love watching your channel.

[@jjdawg9918]

Looks like Alan forgot to take his "Green Book'" for Mycologists. Good see he's back out doing his thing unscathed.

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Those Southern Sundown towns are still vicious, just to different folks.

[@swatch12345]

Killer timing. I just joined my local mushroom hunting club. Giddy up. Also thanks for the stickers bud.

[@BabyRandyRydeZ]

Would love to see you and Alan both give a full spectrum crash course on ALL Panaeolus Species in the wild.

[@michelleburkholder2547]

Last June I went to visit my son in Denver. Being from the Seattle area I was amazed to see gaint puffball growing under caucus at the park around Red Rock Amphitheatre.

[@jonathanacuna]

Best interview! I learned so much

[@ingridc0ld]

This is so cool! This makes me wanna to go out mushroom hunting. I'll have to wait until it gets warmer here in MN though

[@BrianOSheaPlus]

Great video. I loved the police anecdote in Tennessee!

[@leeroyjenkins8317]

I got so excited when I woke up Sunday Funday morning and had this to watch 💖💖💖💖

[@Cliffwalkerrockhounding]

So much FUN, guys!

[@junkettarp8942]

Thanks Alan.

[@thomaswilliams6155]

Alan + Tony = NICE

[@kathryndeloria1834]

On the way back from Maine once we got pulled over..the mint drying on the dashboard was in question. I made him smell it. I love to listen to this guy. Glad you have him on again.

[@katrinamccollough2944]

Thank you for sharing! I'm trying to get into the field and I've lived in the Bay for most of my life, the work you and Alan do is really inspiring.

[@Stikkelsbær]

This was a cool video. I like you following around other nerds who hyper obsess on things and answer all your questions eagerly.

[@Vyezene]

Wouldnt be surprised if that DEA agent is watching alan rockafellar lectures at home right now

[@junglie]

Thanks for another exellent video with your freind Alan Tony.

[@chrisjones-fp5vd]

I love these mycology ones

[@jg1019]

To answer tony's delequescing question, the fungus releases an enzyme called chitinase that degrades the chitin (which makes up the Main structure of the mushroom)

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Thank you sir

[@sapphirestrm]

I love seeing to people passionate about subjects sharing information! This is wonderful!

[@sheila70]

Wonderful seeing you joyful.