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SOOKE GARDEN CLUB: Fabulous plants and their fungal friends

Fungi expert Andy MacKinnon is the guest speaker at the next Sooke Garden Club meeting
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Forest ecologist Andy MacKinnon is the guest speaker at the Jan. 27 meeting of the Sooke Garden Club. (Contributed)

Cory McInnis | C0ntributed

As the calendar turns to a new year, the Sooke Garden Club has been busy putting together ideas and events to keep members interested and involved through virtual or social distancing regulations as they change during the year.

A schedule of incredible speakers has been planned for 2021, starting with our January Zoom meeting on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m., with our guest speaker scheduled at 7:30 p.m. All members can participate; you will be sent a Zoom link via email to join in. If you are not a member and would like to join the Sooke Garden Club, please email Sookegc@gmail.com.

Andy MacKinnon is a “Fungi.” Plants are fascinating. Fungi are fascinating, but it’s challenging to beat plants, plus fungi, for sheer entertainment value.

Fungi have been associated with plants since plants first colonized the land and are requisite partners of almost all of our familiar B.C. plants.

MacKinnon is a forest ecologist who lives in Metchosin. His recent research interests include the ecology of B.C.’s ectomycorrhizal fungal species. He was the lead B.C. scientist for Environment Canada’s 2017 ranking of our province’s threatened and endangered fungal species.

MacKinnon is also a co-author of six best-selling books about plants of western North America and co-author of the Royal B.C. Museum handbook Mushrooms of British Columbia.

Each autumn, MacKinnon is an enthusiastic participant, speaker and field trip leader for various mushroom festivals in southwestern B.C.

For more information, check out the Sooke Garden Club Facebook page and sookegardenclub.ca or email us at sookegc@gmail.com. Annual membership for the Sooke Garden Club is $15 and new members are always welcome.



editor@sookenewsmirror.com

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Forest ecologist Andy MacKinnon is the guest speaker at the Jan. 27 meeting of the Sooke Garden Club. (Contributed)