How do I prepare for the mushroom season?

We are in the middle of March and it’s not yet the time for Boletus family to show up in the forest. However, every day we get more and more sun which naturally calls us for outdoor activities So, why not to use this wonderful spring time to prepare ourselves for new mushroom season?

As I have mentioned in my post “Where do I find wild edible mushrooms?” the forest trees are the key to certain edible mushroom types. Therefore, what I need to do is to look for spruce, pine, oak, aspen and birch trees in the forests around. Of course, we have our favorite place to pick edible mushrooms but it’s always interesting to try out some new locations. So, last weekend we took the car and our camera and drove to the forest where we have not been yet.

Driving on the regional road we have been pulling on the side to have a walk and check what larch trees are growing there (spruce and pine trees are recognizable without close look). In order to identify and memorize what trees grow in certain parts of the forest I have been taking photos of the tree leaves on the ground, trunk and the whole tree in general.

So, the spruce and pine forest looks like this:

Close to pine trees we have found few oak trees. Below are the photos of oak leaves

This is how aspen leaves look like, these are winter survivors from the last season:

And finally, birch leaves and trunk:

Since we have not met many birch, oak and aspen trees I would assume that in this particular forest when fall comes, we could find such pore fungi as King Bolete (Boletus edulis), Pinewood King Bolete (Boletus pinophilus) and maybe Bay Bolete (Boletus badius, synonymous with Xerocomus badius). Depending on the climate but usually from the beginning of September these Bolete mushrooms should  show up in this forest and it makes sense to check it

So, go and have a pleasant spring walk in your nearby forests and try to learn which trees grow there. It will help you anticipate which types of mushrooms you can expect there when the season is right.