Mushrooms of the Carpathians: what, when, and where to pick

The Carpathians are rightly considered one of the richest mushroom regions of Ukraine. Mountain coniferous and mixed forests, clean air, a cool climate and plenty of rain create ideal conditions for mushrooms. No wonder people come here from all over the country for porcini, saffron milk caps and chanterelles.

Let's look at which mushrooms grow in the Carpathians, when the mushroom season is here and what to keep in mind when heading into the mountains to forage.

Which mushrooms grow in the Carpathians

Carpathian forests are above all a realm of conifers and mixed stands, and the mushrooms here match.

• **Porcini.** The region's main pride. The mountains grow the most prized forms of porcini, which dry especially well.
• **Saffron milk cap.** Coniferous forests are the ideal place for saffron milk caps, the classic Carpathian mushroom for salting.
• **Chanterelle.** Damp mountain forests produce plenty of chanterelles, which keep coming all summer and fall.
• **Honey fungus.** In fall it covers stumps and trunks en masse throughout the region.

The Carpathians span several oblasts. For an overview of each, see the pages for Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Chernivtsi oblasts.

When the mushroom season is in the mountains

The mountain climate shifts the season a little compared with the lowlands.

Thanks to the cool and damp, the season in the Carpathians is often longer and steadier: the mountains suffer less from the scorching droughts that kill off mushrooms in the lowlands. The first porcini and chanterelles appear in June, and the peak falls in August–October, when saffron milk caps come up along with the fall flush of porcini.

Altitude matters too: the higher up the mountains, the later the soil warms up and the later the season starts. To gauge the weather on a particular slope, use the mushroom radar.

What to keep in mind in the mountains

Foraging in the Carpathians has its own specifics.

1. Terrain and safety. It's easy to lose your bearings in the mountains. Don't wander far alone, take a charged phone and tell your family your route.
2. The weather changes fast. In the mountains fog and rain roll in suddenly, so your clothes and footwear should be up to it.
3. Altitude shifts the season. On the polonynas (high mountain meadows) and high up in the mountains, mushrooms appear later than in the valleys.
4. Protected areas. Parts of the Carpathians are nature reserves where picking is prohibited. Check the status of the area.

Follow these tips and the rules of safe foraging, and you'll bring home a full basket from the mountains. For what to pick in other months, see the mushroom calendar.

Sources

• “Field Guide to the Fungi of Ukraine” (Kyiv, Naukova Dumka publishing house).
• Boletus pinophilus in GBIF, the global biodiversity database.
• Fungi in MycoBank, the international fungal nomenclature database.
• Mushroom hunting on Wikipedia.