Honey mushrooms in the Leningrad region and St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) in 2021: what they look like, where they grow, where and when to collect

Content

1 What honey mushrooms look like in the Leningrad region
- 1.1 Types of edible honey agarics in the Leningrad region
2 Where to collect honey mushrooms in the Leningrad region
- 2.1 Where honey mushrooms are gathered near Voronezh
- 2.2 Forests where honey agarics grow in the Leningrad region
3 When can you collect honey mushrooms in the Leningrad region
4 Collection rules
5 How to find out if mushrooms have appeared in the Leningrad Region
6 Conclusion

Honey mushrooms in the Leningrad Region in the summer of 2021 began to appear ahead of schedule - already in early June it was possible to harvest, although it was not large. The peak fruiting of honey agaric falls at the end of summer - beginning of autumn, however, the mushroom picking season is already considered open. You can find a variety of mushroom species in the forests of the Leningrad Region, but before going to pick mushrooms, it is recommended to read their description again - along with mushrooms, their poisonous counterparts begin to bear fruit in large quantities.

What honey mushrooms look like in the Leningrad region

As you can see in the photo below, honey mushrooms are very small mushrooms, the height of which rarely exceeds 12-14 cm, however, in the Leningrad region, sometimes larger specimens are also found. The shape of the cap in young mushrooms is egg-shaped, but as it grows, it opens, the edges curve upward, and the fruit body takes on the appearance of a neat umbrella. At the same time, a small bulge is clearly visible in the middle of the cap, the color of which may differ slightly from the main one. The diameter of the cap is 12 cm on average. In mature mushrooms, the edge of the cap becomes slightly corrugated.

The pulp is smooth, very tender and juicy. Her taste is pleasant, as is the smell. The color of the pulp ranges from whitish to pale yellow tones.

The length of the leg is about 8-10 cm, and at the very cap it expands noticeably. Just like the cap, the flesh of the leg is white, sometimes yellowish. It is fibrous in structure. The color of the stem of young mushrooms is yellowish-buffy, close to the color of light honey, but as the fruit body grows, its stem darkens and becomes brown in color. In some species, there is a small skirt on the leg, closer to the cap.

Important! Its color largely depends on the type of wood with which the mycelium of the fungus is associated. For example, fruiting bodies growing under oak trees have a reddish-brown color of the cap, while those that grow under an acacia or poplar have a light, honey-yellow color.

Types of edible honey agarics in the Leningrad region

In total, there are about 40 different species, of which 10 species were found on the territory of the Leningrad region. Description of edible honey agarics of the Leningrad region with a photo and name is presented below.

One of the most popular representatives in this region is northern mushrooms (lat.Armillaria borealis). Their height is 10-12 cm, and the diameter of the cap can reach 10 cm. It is convex in shape, brown-orange, but there are also mushrooms with an olive or ocher color. There is a light spot in the center of the cap, and the surface of the mushroom is covered with small scales. The edges are uneven, slightly rough.

The leg expands downwards, its diameter is 1-2 cm. In the middle of the leg there is a characteristic ring-skirt, quite soft. To the touch, it seems to consist of a film.

In 2021, this species of honey agaric grows in the forests of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) in large groups, especially often under birches, oaks and alder. Fruiting lasts from late August to late October. In warm years, honey mushrooms can be harvested until November.

Another popular edible species of honey agarics in St. Petersburg is autumn thick-legged (Latin Armillaria lutea), a photo of mushrooms is presented below. You can grow them yourself. In height, the fruit bodies reach 10 cm, the diameter of the cap in this species is 8-10 cm. Its shape is conical, the edges are dense and bent downward. The entire surface is covered with small scales. The color ranges from brown to ocher. The pulp is firm with a distinct cheese aroma.

Thick-legged mushrooms grow on pillows of rotten leaves, the remains of bark and needles. Large groups of fungi are found in areas of fire.

Important! Several types of false honey agarics are also growing in the Leningrad Region. They cannot cause significant harm to health when eaten, however, at the slightest suspicion that the mushrooms that have come across are inedible, it is better not to touch them.

Where to collect honey mushrooms in the Leningrad region

In 2021, honey mushrooms in the Leningrad Region went in abundance in pine and mixed forests, whole families can be found under old trees. Traditionally, mushroom groups can be found in the following locations:

on old mossy stumps;
in wet ravines and lowlands;
in an old windbreak;
in places of deforestation;
at the base of drying logs;
on the trunks of fallen trees.

Important! Honey mushrooms alone practically do not grow, which allows them to be distinguished from inedible twins. Usually they stick to stumps and tree trunks in large clusters.

Where honey mushrooms are gathered near Voronezh

There are many mushroom spots near Voronezh, among which the following are the most popular:

in the Somovskoye forestry, crops are harvested not far from the stations Dubrovka, Orlovo, Grafskaya and Shuberskoye;
in the Khokholsky district, mushroom groups are found in large quantities near the villages of Borshchevo and Kostenki;
in the Semiluksky forestry, mushrooms are collected near the villages of Orlov Log, Fedorovka and Malaya Pokrovka;
in the Levoberezhnoye forestry, they go to the villages of Maklok and Nizhny Ikorets for mushroom picking.

Important! On the territory of the Bobrovsky Reserve, it is forbidden to collect mushrooms, as well as other types of mushrooms. Violation of this prohibition may result in a substantial fine.

Forests where honey agarics grow in the Leningrad region

Spring, summer and autumn mushrooms in St. Petersburg can be collected in the following woodlands:

pine forest in the Priozersk region (in the direction of the Vyborg highway);
pine forest in Vsevolozhsk region;
woodland near Lake Luga;
coniferous massif near the village of Sosnovo;
woodland near the railway station Berngardovka;
the area around the village of Kirillovskoye;
coniferous forests near the village of Snegirevka;
swampy area between the villages of Sologubovka and Voitolovo;
woodland near Lake Zerkalnoye;
region near the Vuoksa river, near the village of Losevo;
a small forest near the village of Yagodnoye;
the territory adjacent to the village of Zakhodskoye;
woodland in the Luga region, near the village of Serebryanka;
Sinyavinsky gate area, near the village of Mikhailovskoye.

Advice! It is believed that a large harvest can be harvested in forests that are at least 30 years old. It is in such forests of the Leningrad Region that there are large quantities of old rotten stumps, on which honey agarics of various species like to settle.

When can you collect honey mushrooms in the Leningrad region

Depending on which species the mushrooms belong to, they begin to bear fruit in the Leningrad Region at different times:

Spring plants begin to appear in mid-March and bear fruit until May. Sometimes the harvesting season in the Leningrad region is extended to June and even July.
Fruiting of summer mushrooms in the forests in the Leningrad Region falls on the period from mid-August to the last days of October.
Autumn mushrooms in the Leningrad region can be harvested from August to November.
Winter varieties bear fruit from September to December. Some of them can only be harvested from October

Important! The best time to pick mushrooms in the Leningrad Region is early morning.During this period, the fruit bodies have a fresh appearance after the night coolness, which remains for a long time after harvest. Such specimens are resistant to transportation.

Collection rules

It is recommended to harvest mushrooms in the Leningrad Region, taking into account the following basic rules, which are applicable to almost all other species:

During harvest, it is advisable to leave the mycelium intact. For this, the fruiting bodies are carefully cut with a knife, and not pulled out. It is also permissible to extract the mushrooms using the twisting method. This method of harvesting leaves the mycelium fruitful until next year.
It is better not to collect fruiting bodies growing in the Leningrad region in the immediate vicinity of roads. Mushrooms quickly absorb all toxins from the environment.
Overripe mushrooms are also undesirable to collect. Such specimens are often affected by mold.
At the slightest suspicion that the found specimen is false, it should be left alone.
The harvested crop is placed in a basket or bucket with the caps down.

Advice! One of the main signs by which you can distinguish an edible variety of honey agarics in the Leningrad region from poisonous counterparts is the presence of a skirt on a leg. Similar inedible species do not have such a ring.

How to find out if mushrooms have appeared in the Leningrad Region

Whether honey mushrooms are in the Leningrad Region now or not, you can tell by what the weather is like:

The peak of fruiting occurs mainly at temperatures from + 15 ° C to + 26 ° C.
In extreme heat, fruiting bodies do not grow (from + 30 ° C and above). Mushrooms also do not tolerate drought - the fruit bodies quickly dry out and deteriorate.
Mushrooms begin to bear fruit intensively in the Leningrad Region after rains. After 2-3 days, you can go to harvest.

Advice! A favorable sign for mushroom picking in the Leningrad Region is a thick fog. It testifies to the high humidity of the air, which contributes to the rapid growth of fruit bodies.

Conclusion

Honey mushrooms in the Leningrad region traditionally begin to collect in the spring, however, many species ripen only in June-July, or even later. In order for a trip to the forests of the Leningrad Region not to turn into disappointment, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with how different species look like before picking mushrooms. It is also advisable to clarify in what time they ripen, and where it is better to look for mushrooms in the Leningrad region.

In addition, it is important to be able to distinguish edible varieties from false ones - although they do not cause serious harm to health, in large quantities such a crop can cause serious poisoning.

In addition, you can learn more about the features of collecting honey agarics from the video below:

Name:	Honey mushrooms
A type:	Edible

Honey mushrooms of the Leningrad region and St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg): photo and name, mushroom places