Drought disastrous for mushroom season

mushroom chanterelleThe king of mushrooms, chanterelle basket. Photo: Pixabay.com

Drought spells disaster for the mushroom season

Biologist Kolbjørn Mohn Jenssen believes the mushroom season is in danger if the drought continues. “Fun for the mycologists, but not for the pickers,” says Jenssen.

 

There has been a heat wave in much of Norway so far this year, and the heat does not seem to diminish. In Eastern Norway, it is forecast up to 30oC in the coming week.

It is said that a bad summer for us is a good summer for mushrooms, and vice versa. According to biologist Kolbjørn Mohn Jenssen, the nice weather now creates unusual tendencies among mushrooms and fungi.

– There are absolutely no mushrooms to be found at the moment and that is very abnormal. Usually, at this time of year, you can find chanterelle, Russula, and other edible species. But now there is nothing, says Jenssen to NTB.

The biologist states that it looks very bleak for gathering mushroom if the drought continues.

– My prediction is that it can look promising for boletus, but that requires that there will eventually be some rainfall. If the drought continues, it will be a total disaster, he says.

Excitement

Although the record heat is a cause for concern for the mushroom gatherers, there is all the more reason for excitement for fungus researchers.

– This is so very unusual. One could say that the mycologists are looking forward, but the gatherers are not. I have to say I’m very excited about seeing some southern species that we have not see here yet, maybe even something very exotic, says Jenssen.

The biologist does have a tip-off for those who really itch to locate their mushroom basket already.

– I would recommend hungry students to search in parks or graveyards, under the oak trees that are found there. There it is a watered regularly and a lot of mushrooms to be found, he chuckles.

Affects the berry seasons

The weather has also created abnormal tendencies for berry seasons, including the strawberry season, that soon approaches an unusually early end. In large parts of southern Norway, the harvesting of strawberries has already been brought to an end.

Gathering of Mullon berries happens from August onwards as a rule, but this summer it also got off to an early start.

– The Mullon berries are ripe already and doing well because it thrives in marshland and has their roots down in the water. The blueberries are also ripe but slightly dried out. I have picked some raspberries myself and they are very nice and sweet tasting. They are perhaps the ones who thrive the best in this heat, says Jenssen.

He also predicts that this summer can be a record year for wild strawberries.

– I’ve never seen so many before in my lifetime. They are very nice and sweet to boot, so all you have to do is “to find a straw and thread them on”, says the biologist.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today