Taktsang Monastery - the Tiger's Nest A wooden bridge below Cheri monastery Bhutanese school boys inspecting a Buddha mushroom that will be sold to Japan. \ Himalayan Gypsy (Cortinarius / Rozites emodensis) Isaria tenupies, a Cordyceps anamorph covered in conidia. Background: Mani stone in Kham	Bhutan Photo Report Buddha mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake) Bhutan's Buddha Mushroom and Other Fungi  in the Land of the Thunder Dragon Daniel Winkler www.MushRoaming.com	A Lobelia flowering above Tango Paro or Ripung Dzong built in 1644-46 by Shabdrung Nangwang Namgyal. Bhutanese Nepali mushroomers The "rainbow" conk, may be a Bracket fungus - Fomitopsis. Algae growth and moss turning it green.
	Visit beautiful Bhutan as Daniel takes you to Druk Yul, the Land of the Thunder Dragon. Bhutan is a tiny country the size of Switzerland located in the Eastern Himalayas. It is sandwiched between India and Tibet. With India, Bhutan maintains close political ties; its culture is strongly influenced by centuries of integration in the Tibetan cultural sphere. The mighty Himalayas are the stunning backdrop to Bhutan’s rich and diverse culture. Bhutan boasts an extreme biodiversity reaching from tropical lowlands to towering peaks. The country’s funga is very rich and still needs much research. However, Bhutan is ambitious in researching Caterpillar fungus, Cordyceps / Ophiocordyceps sinensis. It grows above treeline and is an awesome cash source for high altitude communities, who collect this strange parasitizing fungus for export to Chinese consumers. Down below in the pine-oak forests many Bhutanese collect the aromatic Sangay Shamu, the Buddha mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake) for export to Japan. However, not all precious mushrooms are exported. Bhutan’s people really love their mushrooms too. Many of the choice edibles are collected and sold in markets or just along the roads. Most sought after are Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius), Matsutakes, Big Cats (Catathelasma imperiale), Hedgehogs (Hydnum repandum), Himalayan Gypsies (Cortinarius emodensis) and a big purple Coral (Ramaria asiatica), all mushrooms that are more or less familiar to us. Besides mushrooms, Daniel’s presentation will share Bhutan’s geography and rich culture as he takes you to Bhutan’s most spectacular monastery, Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest as well as many other cultural sites. About the Presenter Daniel Winkler grew up collecting wild mushrooms in the Alps. He received a Diploma (= master) in Geography, Ecology, and Biology at FU Berlin. He lives in Kirkland, Washington, and works as researcher and NGO consultant on environmental issues of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas. He has published on forest ecology, forestry, land use, medicinal plants and in recent years mostly on fungi [see www.danielwinkler.com]. Working in High Asia, Daniel realized that mushrooms play a crucial role in Tibetan culture. Since 1998, he has been researching Tibet’s diverse mushroom industry and its importance for rural people, and he also leads annually “MushRoaming” tours to Tibet. Bhutan tours are organized on request only.
	A group of monks from Tango Gompa under a tall Bhutan cypress  cypress (Cupressus torolusa) All photos ©  Daniel Winkler If you would like to use any of my photos please contact me by emaill