Photo caption: [Click photo to enlarge] The polypore in the left hand, Laricifomes officinalis, was cloned, grown in a petri dish and submitted by Paul Stamets to Homeland Security in the USA. It is a fungus that helps with the potential threat of terrorism because it contains some of the only known chemicals that help fight off small pox. Verification of this resulted in the presentation of the framed photo in the right hand. A fungus that can TRUELY help the nation!

Darvin DeShazer is chairman of the Science Department at St. Vincent High School in Petaluma, CA and for over twenty years has taught Biology and Advanced Placement Biology. In the past, he has also taught Physics, Chemistry and Honors Chemistry. His scientific training was guided by Dr. David Largent at Humboldt State University where he obtained a degree in Biology and teaching certificates in Life Science and Chemistry.

He was one the cofounders of the Sonoma County Mycological Association (SOMAmushrooms.org), a past President, newsletter Editor, creator of SOMA Camp and serves as the Science Advisor. In 2003 he was the mycologist and keynote speaker for the NAMA Regional Foray in Northern California. His expertise in mushrooms stems from more than 35 years in the field and a personal library of over 1,000 mushroom books. His love for hunting mushrooms has resulted in over 8,000 color photos of fungi here at MushroomObserver.org. He assists local hospitals and veterinarians as the north bay identification expert of poisonous mushrooms and is a consultant for the Bay Area Poison Control Center and the University of California Agricultural Extension Service. Darvin has written keys to over 2,000 species of fungi and coauthored several publications about fungi, including ‘100 Edible Mushrooms’ which is currently available at Amazon.com. He teaches workshops in mushroom identification, truffle ecology and fungal microscopy.

NAMA Identification Consultant for EMERGENCY Mushroom Poisoning.
http://www.namyco.org/toxicology/identifiers.html

DeShazer, Darvin. 1986. Stinkhorns Attract Flies and Mycologists. California Plant Pest and Disease Report 5(3-4): 243-245. Published by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/ppd/publications/CPPDR.html

DeShazer, Darvin. 1987. Nidulariales – The Bird’s Nest Fungi. California Plant Pest and Disease Report 6(3-4): 52-54. Published by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/ppd/publications/CPPDR.html

DeShazer, Darvin. 1995. A Chemist Smells Mushrooms. Mycena News, Mycological Society of San Francisco.

DeShazer, Darvin. 2007. Advanced Polychotomous Field Keys to Selected Fungi West of the Rockies.

DeShazer, Darvin and Charles Buff. 1995. Getting Started in Chemistry. Cedar Flats Pub., Santa Rosa, CA. 72p.

DeShazer, Darvin and Kathleen Kosta. 1986. Strawberry Leaf Botch. California Plant Pest and Disease Report 5(3-4): 246-247. Published by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/ppd/publications/CPPDR.html

DeShazer, Darvin, Virginia Waters and Brad Thompson. 1987. Two New Hosts of Heterobasidion annosum. California Plant Pest and Disease Report 6(3-4): 55-56. Published by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/ppd/publications/CPPDR.html

Kuo, Michael, John Moore and Darvin DeShazer. 2007. 100 Edible Mushrooms With Tested Recipes. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 329p.

Wood, William F., Jay Brandes , Brian Foy, Christopher Morgan, Thierry Mann and Darvin DeShazer. 2012. The Maple Syrup Odour Of The “Candy Cap” Mushroom, Lactarius fragilis var. rubidus. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 43: 51-53

Wood, William F., Darvin DeShazer and David Largent. 1988. The Identity and Metabolic Fate of Volatiles Responsible for the Odor of Hydnellum suaveolens. Mycologia 80(2): 252-255.