Charcoal

Why do they grow on burn sites?

For pyrophilous fungi, a fire is not a disaster but a signal to reproduce. According to mycological research, the spores of these fungi can lie in the soil for decades without germinating. They are waiting for two things:

1. Heat shock: Strong heating of the soil activates the spore (breaks down its tough outer wall).

2. No competition: Fire kills off other aggressive fungi and bacteria, and the ash creates an ideal alkaline, mineral-rich environment that suits pyrophiles perfectly.

The main burn-site mushrooms

1. Black morel (Morchella elata/conica): The most coveted trophy of the spring forager. In North America and Europe it is well known that the year after large forest fires, massive colonies of thousands of delicious morels appear on the blackened burn (where even the grass hasn't grown back yet). The phenomenon is so well known that some farmers deliberately burn old apple orchards to stimulate a morel harvest.

2. Charcoal scalycap (Pholiota carbonaria / highlandensis): A small yellow-brown gilled mushroom that grows in huge troops on old campfire sites, charcoal and burn sites in autumn.

3. Cup fungi (Peziza): Small cup-shaped fungi (ascomycetes), brown or purple in color, that carpet the remains of campfires in spring and summer.

If you see an old campfire spot in the forest, take a closer look: it's a micro-ecosystem with its own unique fungal flora.