How to identify
Articles in this category
How to identifyTruffles in Ukraine: do they grow here, and where to look
Truffles aren't just a French delicacy. Several species grow in Ukraine too. Here's which ones, where they occ…
August 24, 2026·2 min
How to identifyMushrooms with a ring on the stem: what it warns you about
The ring, or skirt, on the stem is an important feature you need to know how to read. Here's which mushrooms h…
August 21, 2026·3 min
How to identifyRed-capped mushrooms: edible and dangerous
A red cap in the forest is a reason to stop. These mushrooms include both tasty red-capped scaber stalks and p…
August 21, 2026·3 min
How to identifyMushrooms for beginners: 7 safe species to start with
The best way to start foraging is to learn a few species that have no deadly lookalikes. We've gathered seven…
August 19, 2026·3 min
How to identifyPored or gilled mushrooms: how and why to tell them apart
Looking under the cap is the first thing an experienced forager does. Here's how pored mushrooms differ from g…
August 14, 2026·3 min
How to identifyWhy mushrooms taste bitter and how to get rid of it
A mushroom can taste bitter for different reasons: from a poisonous lookalike to improper cooking. We explain…
August 14, 2026·2 min
How to identifyEdible mushrooms that grow on trees and stumps
Plenty of mushrooms grow on trunks and stumps, and some of them are delicious. Here's which tree mushrooms are…
August 13, 2026·2 min.webp)
How to identifyHow mycelium grows, and why a mushroom is only its tip
Mycelium lives in the soil for years, and mushrooms are only its fruiting bodies. We explain how mycelium grow…
August 10, 2026·3 min
How to identifyChicken of the woods: how to identify it
Bright yellow chicken of the woods grows right on tree trunks and tastes like chicken. Here's how to identify…
August 8, 2026·2 min
How to identifyBlewit: when to pick it and how to tell it apart
The field blewit is easy to spot by its lilac stem. Here's where and when to pick it, what makes it worthwhile…
August 8, 2026·2 min.webp)
How to identifyRed-capped bolete (aspen bolete): how to identify it and where it grows
The orange bolete, also known as the aspen bolete, is hard to mistake thanks to its bright cap and bluing cut…
August 6, 2026·3 min.webp)
How to identifyVelvet shank, the mushroom that grows in frost
The velvet shank fruits when other mushrooms have long been asleep. Here's how to recognize it, where to find…
August 6, 2026·2 min
How to identifyUgly milk cap: how to recognize it, and is it edible?
The ugly milk cap is a dark mushroom of damp birch woods, prized for salting. Here's how to recognize it, wher…
August 5, 2026·2 min
How to identifySaffron milk cap: when it appears, where to look, and how to tell it apart
The saffron milk cap is one of the tastiest mushrooms for salting, and you can salt it almost raw. Here's when…
August 5, 2026·3 min
How to identifyTypes of Agaricus: wood, field, and cultivated mushrooms
Agaricus isn't just the mushroom from the supermarket: several edible species grow in the wild, from the field…
July 29, 2026·2 min
How to identifyEdible bracket fungi: chicken of the woods and dryad's saddle
Most bracket fungi are tough and inedible, but a few species are a real delicacy when young. Here's which brac…
July 29, 2026·2 min
How to identifyTypes of saffron milk caps: pine, spruce, and the true one
Saffron milk caps are orange mushrooms of conifer forests, prized for salting. But there are several species:…
July 18, 2026·2 min
How to identifyTypes of brittlegills in Ukraine: a complete guide
Brittlegills are the most colorful family in our forests: green, red, blue, yellow. Some are tasty, others are…
July 18, 2026·2 min
How to identify"Pecherytsia" or champignon: are they the same thing?
The store-bought champignon and the wild forest *pecherytsia* — relatives or different mushrooms? We explain w…
July 17, 2026·2 min
How to identifyLion's mane: what it looks like and where it grows
Lion's mane, also called bearded tooth, is an unusual white mushroom that hangs from trees in long, soft spine…
July 17, 2026·2 min
How to identifyHerald of winter: a mushroom of late autumn
The herald of winter appears when other mushrooms are already gone — its slimy olive cap turns up in pine fore…
July 17, 2026·2 min
How to identifyCoral fungi: are these antler-like mushrooms edible?
Coral fungi, also known as “deer antlers,” are unusual branching mushrooms that look like sea corals or a deer…
July 17, 2026·2 min
How to identify"Zontyk" or "parasolka": the right Ukrainian name for the parasol mushroom
Some call this big mushroom on a tall stem *zontyk*, others *parasolka*. We explain which name is native Ukrai…
July 16, 2026·2 min
How to identify"Openky" or "pidpenky": the right Ukrainian name for honey fungus
Some say *openky*, others *pidpenky*, and both mean the same mushrooms by the stumps. We explain where the two…
July 16, 2026·2 min
How to identifyWoolly milk caps (white and pink): are they edible, and how to recognize them
The woolly milk cap is a fluffy cousin of the classic milk caps, with a pink or white cap and acrid milky late…
July 16, 2026·2 min
How to identifyStinking brittlegill: is it edible, and how is it cooked?
The stinking brittlegill, or valui (“bychok”), is a common mushroom from the brittlegill genus that people onc…
July 16, 2026·2 min
How to identifyCommon stinkhorn: what it looks like and where it grows
The common stinkhorn is an unusual mushroom that grows out of an “egg” and surprises you with its pungent smel…
July 16, 2026·2 min
How to identifyPored vs. gilled mushrooms: what's the difference?
Turning the cap over and looking underneath is one of the simplest ways to identify a mushroom. Here's how por…
July 15, 2026·3 min.webp)
How to identifyPoplar knight: how to spot this autumn mushroom of poplars
The poplar knight grows only under poplars, often in huge clusters in late fall. It's little known but valuabl…
July 14, 2026·2 min
How to identifyGrey knight: how to identify it, and is it edible?
The grey knight, or “mousey”, is a tasty fall mushroom of pine forests. But a large gray cap is easy to confus…
July 14, 2026·2 min.webp)
How to identifyTypes of Tricholoma in Ukraine: a complete guide
Knights are a large family of fall mushrooms: the grey knight, poplar knight, wood blewit, yellow knight and o…
July 14, 2026·2 min
How to identifyTypes of milk caps in Ukraine: a complete guide
“Hruzd” isn't one mushroom but a whole family of similar gilled mushrooms with acrid milky latex. Some are pri…
July 11, 2026·3 min
How to identifySummer vs. autumn honey mushrooms: what's the difference?
Summer and autumn "honey mushrooms" are different species, not an "early" and a "late" form of the same one. B…
July 10, 2026·3 min
How to identifyParasol mushroom, a giant worth knowing
A tall mushroom with an umbrella cap, the parasol is a tasty delicacy, but people confuse it with amanitas. He…
June 12, 2026·3 min
How to identifyPuffballs: edible while they're young
White balls in a clearing, puffballs are tasty while young and white inside. Here's how to recognize them, whe…
June 12, 2026·3 min
How to identifyBrittlegills, the most common mushrooms in the forest
Brittlegills turn up practically at every step, but you need to pick them wisely. Here's how to recognize a go…
June 11, 2026·3 min
How to identifyTypes of honey fungus in Ukraine: a complete guide
There's more than one kind of honey fungus: there are summer, autumn, meadow and even winter ones. Here are th…
June 10, 2026·3 min
How to identifyThe golden chanterelle: portrait of a favorite mushroom
Bright, fragrant and almost never wormy, the chanterelle wins foragers over. Here's what it looks like, where…
June 9, 2026·3 min
How to identifyJune's first lookalikes: the cornflower bolete and the bitter bolete
The first summer boletes have tricky look-alikes. Here's how not to confuse porcini with the bitter bolete, wh…
June 2, 2026·4 min
How to identifyBlue-bruising boletes: which ones turn deep blue when cut
The folk name “syniak” (“bruise”) is given to several boletes that instantly turn blue when cut. We explain wh…
May 31, 2026·6 min._Locatie,_De_Kruidhof_Buitenpost_01.webp)
How to identifyEdible mushrooms of Ukraine: photos and names
A catalog of the best-known edible mushrooms of Ukraine, with photos, names and quick field marks. We explain…
May 30, 2026·6 min
How to identifyThe chestnut Xerocomus and the bay bolete
Xerocomus ferrugineus and the bay bolete are close relatives that often get mentioned together. Here's how the…
May 18, 2026·3 min
How to identifyRuby bolete, the most colorful of the Xerocomus group
The ruby bolete is easy to spot by its bright carmine cap. Here's how to tell it apart, where to look, and whe…
May 16, 2026·3 min
How to identifyRed cracking bolete, the mottled Xerocomus
The red cracking bolete is easy to recognize by its cap, which cracks with age. Here's how to tell it apart, w…
May 14, 2026·3 min_Fr_228138_crop.webp)
How to identifySuede bolete, the classic Xerocomus of the woods
The suede bolete is the very same classic moss bolete everyone knows. Here's how to recognize it by its yellow…
May 12, 2026·3 min
How to identifyWhat is a Xerocomus bolete, and how do you recognize one?
The moss bolete is a modest but tasty mushroom that loves mossy forest edges. Here's what it is, how to recogn…
May 8, 2026·4 min
How to identifyHow to identify a birch bolete: the key features
A birch bolete is easy to recognize by a few simple features. Here's what to look at to identify one with conf…
April 30, 2026·3 min.webp)
How to identifyBirch bolete or aspen bolete: what's the difference?
The brown birch bolete and the red-capped scaber stalk often come up together, because they're close relatives…
April 28, 2026·3 min