What time of day to pick mushrooms in June

Foragers have a saying for good reason: the early riser gets the mushrooms. It’s easy not to believe, but the time you head into the forest really does affect your haul. Especially in summer, when the day is hot and there’s plenty of competition for the basket.

Let’s look at why it’s worth heading out at dawn in June, what makes morning outings so good and when foraging really makes no sense.

Why morning is better for picking mushrooms

Several reasons make morning the best time for summer foraging.

• Mushrooms are fresh and firm. Overnight the forest soaks up coolness and moisture, so in the morning mushrooms are firm, not limp and not dried out by the sun.
• They’re easier to spot. In the low morning light, caps stand out more among the grass and leaves than under the direct midday sun.
• You’re first. In June, lots of people comb the popular spots. Whoever arrives at dawn gets the best, before others have cut it.
• It’s cool for walking. In the heat a long walk wears you out, while in the morning walking through the forest is easy and pleasant.

That’s why experienced foragers try to be in the forest by dawn, especially on warm June days.

What happens to mushrooms during the day

By noon on a hot day, the forest changes, and not in the forager’s favor. The sun dries out the leaf litter, mushroom caps wilt and crack, and the flesh loses its firmness.

Insects are more active in the warmth too, so mushrooms picked at midday are more likely to turn out wormy. On top of that, by lunchtime other foragers have already combed the popular clearings.

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do in the forest during the day. In cloudy, cool weather or in a shady, damp forest, mushrooms stay fresh much longer, so the time of day matters less.

When the time of day matters less

Morning is your main guide in the heat, but there are conditions when you can pick at any time.

• A cloudy, cool day. Without scorching sun, mushrooms don’t wilt, so even a midday outing works.
• A shady, damp forest. Under the dense canopy of deciduous or mixed forest, the cool air lingers longer.
• After rain. In a damp forest, mushrooms stay fresh all day long.

Chanterelles, on the other hand, hardly care about the time of day: thanks to its dense flesh, the chanterelle doesn’t wilt and stays fresh even under the midday sun.

When it’s not worth going foraging

There are also times when an outing will almost certainly be fruitless, no matter when you head out.

1. The height of a heatwave with no rain. Mushrooms don’t grow in a prolonged drought, so neither morning nor evening will save you.
2. Right after a downpour. Mushrooms don’t appear instantly but within two to three days, so rushing to the forest while it’s still raining is too early.
3. Midday in the heat. At midday in the heat, mushrooms are limp, wormy and mostly already picked.

The bottom line is simple: in June, plan your outing for the morning and keep an eye on the weather. And to know when it’s worth heading out after rain at all, check the mushroom radar.

Sources

• “Identification Guide to the Fungi of Ukraine” (Kyiv, Naukova Dumka publishers).
• Boletus reticulatus on GBIF, the global biodiversity database.
• Fungi on MycoBank, the international fungal nomenclature database.
• Mushroom hunting on Wikipedia.