Welcome to the website of the South Carolina Upstate Mycological Society (SCUMS), the mushroom club of South Carolina’s ‘Upstate’ region. 

The South Carolina Upstate Mycological Society is a new club that formed, unofficially, in the fall of 2007. The founders are Julia Kerrigan, an assistant professor of mycology at Clemson University, and Tradd Cotter, a mushroom farmer who owns a local business, Mushroom Mountain, in Liberty, SC. Because of the drought, SCUMS didn’t actually begin meeting until May of 2008, when rainfall was substantial enough to (finally!) warrant an official foray. Our first meeting was May 6, 2008, with twelve attendees of diverse mycological interests and backgrounds.

The goals of our Society are to bring people together who share a common interest in mushrooms and related fungi, and to facilitate an appreciation and understanding of fungi.

For those not from this area, the ‘Upstate’, or ‘Upcountry’, is a region in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina that begins at the border of South Carolina and Georgia and goes East to the Catawba River basin. Frequent rains (well, historically they were…), diverse ecological niches, and mild winter temperatures contribute to a wealth of fungal diversity and abundance.

Monthly Meeting:  SCUMS meets at 7:00 pm on the first Monday of the month at 222 Long Hall on the Clemson University Campus.  We hope to see you there!