Autumn mushrooms: photo, description, when to pick mushrooms in the forest
These fruiting bodies got their name because of the peculiarity of growing on stumps and tree trunks. Many novice mushroom pickers ask questions: when to collect autumn mushrooms and in which forests? Note that the area of growth of this type of fruit bodies is damaged, rotten, and also weakened deciduous trees. Especially autumn mushrooms prefer places with high humidity. They grow in large colonies, often growing together with the bases of the legs.
And yet, the important question remains, when can you collect autumn mushrooms? Mushroom picking will depend on climatic conditions. For example, autumn mushrooms grow from early August to mid-November, that is, the main harvest time is September and October.
Let's look at a photo and description of autumn mushrooms and find out when to collect the two most popular species.
When can you collect autumn mushrooms (Armillaria mellea)
Latin name:Armillaria mellea.
Genus: Armillaria's honey agaric.
Family: Physalacrylic.
Synonyms: the honey mushroom is real.
Hat: diameter from 3 to 15 cm, convex at a young age, then opens and becomes flat with wavy edges. The color ranges from honey brown to olive with a dark center. On the surface there are light scales that can disappear with age.
Leg: covered with flake-like scales, 7-12 cm long, 1 to 2 cm in diameter. It has a blanket ring that does not disappear with age. The lower part is of a darker color, widened at the base.
Pulp: in young specimens, the flesh is white, dense, and has a pleasant smell. The pulp of the legs is fibrous, and with age it acquires a coarse consistency.
Plates: in young honey agarics they are hidden under a blanket, have a yellowish tint. In adulthood, they become brown or ocher.
Collection season: the time when autumn mushrooms are harvested depends on the weather conditions of the region. This is usually mid-August and the peak harvest is in September.
Edibility: edible mushroom.
Spreading: grows throughout Russia on the trunks of dead trees and rotten stumps.
When to harvest autumn mushrooms (Armillaria lutea)
Latin name:Armillaria lutea.
Genus: Armillaria's honey agaric.
Family: Physalacrylic.
Synonyms: Armillaria Bulbosa, Inflata.
Hat: diameter is from 2.5 to 10 cm. At a young age, the mushroom has a wide-conical cap with turned-up edges, then it thickens and the edges fall. At first it has a dark brown color, turns yellow with age. On the surface there are numerous conical scales that persist even in adults.
Leg: cylindrical with a clavate thickening towards the base. The "skirt" is filmy, white, which is then torn.
Pulp: white with an unpleasant cheesy odor.
Plates: frequent, turn brown with age.
Collection season: the time when you need to collect autumn mushrooms of thicklegs begins from mid-September until the end of October.
Edibility: edible mushroom.
Spreading: is a saprophyte and grows on rotting grass, rotting stumps and tree trunks.
