JOANNE SCHWARTZ, a mushroom expert and OC CNPS member, will lead a hunt for interesting mushrooms and fungus in oak forests, chaparral or sage scrub habitats of the Santa Ana Mts. or foothills. Joanne will explain the differences in the fungus parts and how they reproduce from spores spread by wind, animals, water and insects. Fungus are important to the ecology of our local wildlands in many ways and without their decomposing and symbiotic characteristics the world would be a very different place. Joanne will demonstrate environmentally friendly methods and tools used to study fungi and discuss their edibility. Although principally a mushroom and fungus trip, we probably will not be able to avoid pointing out a few of the interesting native plants of the area as well.