PeteS
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Still plenty of MushroomsPlenty of mushrooms around even though there has been so little rain. In this weather the key is to look at the trees. There is hardly anything fruiting on the ground (although I am sill finding Ceps), however, fungi that fruit on trees obtain much of their moisture from the tree itself and can get away with dry conditions. In the last couple of days I have found more than enough Oyster Mushrooms, Beefsteak Fungus, Chicken of the Woods and Cauliflower Fungus. Honey Fungus is also starting to fruit in large numbers.
Chicken of the Woods
Cauliflower Fungus. I think this is the rarer Sparassis spathulata - it has larger fronds and is more palid than S. crispa. I think it tastes better too!
A huge cluster of Honey Fungus
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cab
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Other than the odd crispy bracket, nothing here. Hasn't rained meaningfully in well over a month - the grass is all yellow, the trees are losing their leaves much faster than most Autumns here.
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SmattyB
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Yep, same here, really need some rain. Nothing for weeks.
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PeteS
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Well, the BBQ autumn is over and I think we'll all get some rain next week. Whether it's too late we shall see.
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mihto
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From your experience, how low can temperatures go before the season is over? We were down to an unusual zero or below last night. I'm planning a short walk in my neighbourhood today to check things out.
How late in the season have you found mushrooms?
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ros
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| cab wrote: | | Other than the odd crispy bracket, nothing here. Hasn't rained meaningfully in well over a month - the grass is all yellow, the trees are losing their leaves much faster than most Autumns here. |
yesterday they forcast rain for today - that has now changed to being a bit cloudy
bright blue sky at the moment.
In August we were all worried about the Ivel flooding - now all the farms are irrigating again. It doesn't feel right at all.
No obvious signs of fungi around here at all
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cab
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| mihto wrote: | From your experience, how low can temperatures go before the season is over? We were down to an unusual zero or below last night. I'm planning a short walk in my neighbourhood today to check things out.
How late in the season have you found mushrooms? |
Frost early can be a good thing. Means you might find some of the winter ones out at the same time as the autumn ones, and often it'll mean that you'll get a flush of mushrooms all out a week or so after the frost. If you've got any good spots for, say, oyster mushrooms, keep a close eye on them.
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Stewy
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Nothing for me today apart from this well past it Cep............
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PeteS
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| cab wrote: | | mihto wrote: | From your experience, how low can temperatures go before the season is over? We were down to an unusual zero or below last night. I'm planning a short walk in my neighbourhood today to check things out.
How late in the season have you found mushrooms? |
Frost early can be a good thing. Means you might find some of the winter ones out at the same time as the autumn ones, and often it'll mean that you'll get a flush of mushrooms all out a week or so after the frost. If you've got any good spots for, say, oyster mushrooms, keep a close eye on them. |
Blewits seem to be triggered by frost. I normally find my first about 10 days after the first frost. Two years ago we got a frost in September. I can remember finding Blewits and Ceps at the same time and in the same location! That year Blewits came out at the end of September and continued until March. I picked the last a week before the St George's came out. But that autumn season (2 years ago) was even worse than this year.
Winter Chanterelles can survive frosts. I often pick the last in January. Hedgehog mushrooms cope well too, but I've hardly seen any this year. Chanterelles have a long range as well. I find the first at the end of May/beginning of June and often pick the last on New Years day.
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cab
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Of course you also find things like velvet shank frozen solid.
Going to need one hell of a drenching in rain here, else even after a frost we'll get nowt.
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wipka84
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It's been such a dry September here in Southend. No mentionable rain for the whole of September.
found this, the rainfall for the last 30 days where i am ;
sort of sums it up, red line at the bottom!
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mihto
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| PeteS wrote: | | cab wrote: | | mihto wrote: | From your experience, how low can temperatures go before the season is over? We were down to an unusual zero or below last night. I'm planning a short walk in my neighbourhood today to check things out.
How late in the season have you found mushrooms? |
Frost early can be a good thing. Means you might find some of the winter ones out at the same time as the autumn ones, and often it'll mean that you'll get a flush of mushrooms all out a week or so after the frost. If you've got any good spots for, say, oyster mushrooms, keep a close eye on them. |
Blewits seem to be triggered by frost. I normally find my first about 10 days after the first frost. Two years ago we got a frost in September. I can remember finding Blewits and Ceps at the same time and in the same location! That year Blewits came out at the end of September and continued until March. I picked the last a week before the St George's came out. But that autumn season (2 years ago) was even worse than this year.
Winter Chanterelles can survive frosts. I often pick the last in January. Hedgehog mushrooms cope well too, but I've hardly seen any this year. Chanterelles have a long range as well. I find the first at the end of May/beginning of June and often pick the last on New Years day. |
Blewits are too advanced for me. would not recognize one if it grew on my nose 
Today I found chantarelles, winter chantarelles and hedgehogs, as many as I could carry.
Still struggling with the concept of "enough".
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cab
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| mihto wrote: |
Blewits are too advanced for me. would not recognize one if it grew on my nose |
I rekon you'll recognise a field blewit when you see one. Very distinctive.
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PeteS
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Late this afternoon I went out with the dog to the New Forest. I have noticed that recently pine woods have been doing well, so I tried a place with pines that I have not been to before. I thought that I might find a few Saffron milk Caps (doing well this season) and just maybe a Cauliflower Fungus. As I went into the car park I noticed a cluster of mushrooms. As I got closer I found that they were Ceps - 9 really excellent Ceps of various sizes all in a little close group. Never seen anything like this since 2006. Hoping I might find more I had a good look around. Found a few Chanterelles, a nice Bay Bolete, an Orange Oak Bolete (doing well this year) and a few Saffron Milk Caps (sadly in poor condition). Still not bad at all. Who needs rain  I'll post pictures tomorrow when I have some light.
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PeteS
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| wipka84 wrote: | It's been such a dry September here in Southend. No mentionable rain for the whole of September.
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We've had more than that down here, but not much more, However this could have made a difference. Parts of the UK - especially the north, west and Scotland have had quite a bit of rain. Given this I would have expected reports of huge mushroom hauls. A couple of weeks ago I was chatting to someone up north where there has been plenty of rain. I thought he would have had baskets of mushrooms but apparently it's been a poor season too.
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gil
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15.5" of rain up here in August.
Wet last month too, and raining now.
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mihto
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No idea about the rainfall, but there has hardly been a dry day since end of July. I distinctly remember how I wanted some rain for my birthday early in July.
Never wish too much for something. you may get it 
Please, somebody, can it stop now?
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PeteS
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| mihto wrote: | No idea about the rainfall, but there has hardly been a dry day since end of July. I distinctly remember how I wanted some rain for my birthday early in July.
Never wish too much for something. you may get it
Please, somebody, can it stop now? |
I can remember you moaning about lack of rain back in the summer! Funny, but when it stopped really raining here (end of July) it seems to have started raining up your way.
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PeteS
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| gil wrote: | 15.5" of rain up here in August.
Wet last month too, and raining now. |
You must have mushrooms everywhere!
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mihto
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| PeteS wrote: | | mihto wrote: | No idea about the rainfall, but there has hardly been a dry day since end of July. I distinctly remember how I wanted some rain for my birthday early in July.
Never wish too much for something. you may get it
Please, somebody, can it stop now? |
I can remember you moaning about lack of rain back in the summer! Funny, but when it stopped really raining here (end of July) it seems to have started raining up your way. |
Bad karma between Hampshire and our West Coast.  
First we had six weeks without a single drop. Then ten weeks nonstop. A tale about seven good and seven bad years spring to mind.
Can't remember the Bible saying anything about mushrooms, though.
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