Greeting Hiveans!
I hope you are all enjoying your weekend, mine has flown by. We have had quite a rainy few days with temps between 15-17C and it is really set up to be a good mushroom season, I am just about 1-2 weeks too early. Can you blame me? I look forward to this the entire year.
This year I found a new spot, that's looking to be quite promising. Today, we found a few baby Anamita's popping out to say hi.
In a protected nature area about 2KM from my front door lies a secluded stand of young birch that is managed by the public forestry agency. Birch and Aspen are great partners of Anamita Muscaria and if this mushroom grows in your area these forest stands would be the place to look.
With my son and daughter with me, we set out around 10 am right as the rain let up and they were excited to help me search for "red mushrooms". I take great joy in spending time with them outdoors and teaching them as much as I can. How many 5-year-olds these days can identify several species of fungi?
When we first arrived, I told the kids about the importance of the land and the relationship between the ecosystem and its communities of species. We even paid homage to the land spirits by placing a couple of euro coins on a mound near the entrance to the hidden birch stand.
We were at it for about two hours until hunger got the best of us and all we took were some great photographs and headed off to McDonald's for a treat for all their hard work. Just in time too, a brand new storm system came rolling in right after we left.
Have a great one and spend some time in nature!