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The fact that it is necessary to look for aspen mushrooms in places where aspen grows has been known for a long time. This, in particular, is evidenced by the name of the mushroom. It is also known as the redhead, the redhead, the aspen, the redhead, the red mushroom, and the red mushroom.
Boletus belongs to the group of elite mushrooms due to its exquisite taste and bright nutty aroma. The redhead's hat can have a different color depending on the amount of sun rays taken in and the moisture it receives. The boletus grows, like many other mushrooms, exclusively at a certain time and in places suitable for it.
Where boletuses grow
Boletus boletus (pictured) grow in almost any forest. You can meet them both in aspen forests and in mixed plantations - coniferous or deciduous. In a pure spruce forest, redheads are unlikely to be found. In hot and dry periods, they most often grow in young aspen groves.
Absolutely anyone can choose a place for redheads. Most of all, they like areas of the forest, protected from direct sunlight and blown by light warm winds. They love wet lowlands, shady shrub thickets, woodlands, overgrown with various grass or moss.
Boletus is a whole group of mushrooms belonging to the Boletov family of the genus Leccinum (Leccinum). They differ mainly in the size and color of the cap. At the same time, different types of boletus grow only in places suitable for them.
Boletus species
All redheads are edible, of the same nutritional value, so it is often difficult for mushroom pickers to distinguish between them. In order not to confuse boletus with other mushrooms during collection, you need to know how this or that variety looks, to study their distinctive features and characteristics.
The main representatives of the genus are considered to be white, red and yellow-brown redheads. There are also species such as pine, oak, painted-footed and black-scaled.
Red (Leccinum aurantiacum)
Main characteristics:
- The cap is red, red-brown, red-red or orange.
- Leg height - 5-17 (20) cm.
- Thickness - 1.2-2.6 (6) cm.
- The diameter of the cap is 5-20 (30) cm.
It is found in the forest zone of Eurasia, in the northwestern and European part of Russia, in Siberia, in the Urals, the Caucasus, and the Far East.
Yellow-brown (Leccinum versipelle)
The cap of the mushroom is yellow with a brown or orange tint. Leg height - 7-23 cm. Thickness - 1.5-4 (7) cm.
It grows in northern regions with a temperate continental climate. In the European part of Russia, in the Far East. In low-lying birch forests, aspen forests, spruce-birch and pine-birch forests.
White (Leccinum percandidum)
The hat is white, gray-brown, its diameter is 4-16 (25) cm.The height of the leg is 4-10 (15) cm, the thickness is 1.2-3 (7) cm.
A rare species found in Moscow and the Moscow region, Siberia, Chuvashia, Western Europe, North America, and the Baltic countries.
Colored legs (Leccinum chromapе)
The hat is pink. Pink and red scales cover the entire surface of the stem. Above it is white-pink, below it is yellowish. Distributed in East Asian and North American countries.
Pine (Leccinum vulpinum)
The hat is velvety to the touch, reddish-brown with a raspberry tinge. The height of the leg is 10-15 cm, the thickness is 2-5 cm. The diameter of the cap is 15 cm or more.
Grows in temperate European countries.
Oak (Leccinum quercinum)
Red or orange hat. The height of the leg is up to 15 cm, the thickness is 1.5-3 cm.The diameter of the cap is 8-15 cm.
It has some similarities with boletus. The partner tree is oak. Grows in northern latitudes with a temperate climate.
Black-scaly (Leccinum atrostipiatum)
The hat comes in a variety of colors, from dark red to red-orange to terracotta red. The height of the leg is 8-13 cm, the thickness is 2-4 cm. The diameter of the cap is 5-15 cm.
Grows in oak groves and mixed plantings of the northern regions.
Why do boletus grow under aspen trees
The boletus got its name due to the similarity of the color of the cap with the color of the autumn leaves of the aspen, as well as because of its close symbiosis with it. At its core, the redhead is a parasite. The mycorrhiza penetrates into the root system of the tree, thereby forming a special cohesion called mycorrhiza. Thus, there is an exchange process between them. The boletus receives organic substances from aspen, which are necessary for full development and growth. In return, the mushroom gives the partner tree water and minerals.
This mutual exchange has a beneficial effect on redheads. Therefore, most often you can find boletus in the forest just under the aspen trees.
When boletuses grow
Redheads grow in layers or periods, like many other fungi. The first single specimens appear already at the beginning of summer, but aspen mushrooms begin to grow massively a little later - in July. The growth of mushrooms continues until autumn, right up to the onset of the first frost.
But redheads do not grow constantly, but with breaks for rest. The duration of the mushroom layer depends on the amount of precipitation and temperature conditions. The most intensive growth of fungi is observed in September.
The collection time of boletus boletus is stretched for a long time. At the same time, the first mushrooms are called differently, depending on the time of appearance:
- Spikelets... They appear during haymaking and during earing of winter grain crops.
- Stubblers... They begin to grow during the harvest season.
- Deciduous... Appear in early autumn.
Between the layers and after, a rare single appearance of fungi is possible. This is often observed during the humid summer period, when the fruiting periods are not very pronounced.
Variety of mushrooms | Timing of fruiting | Features of the |
Spikelets (white and yellow-brown boletus) | End of June and first half of July | Fruiting is not too abundant |
Stubble stubs (oak, red and black-scaly boletus) | Second half of July or August-September | The yield is very high |
Deciduous (spruce and pine redheads) | Second decade of September and end of October | Long fruiting period up to the very frost |
At what temperature do boletus grow
For the growth and full development of mycelium, a temperature of 12 to 22 ° C is required, with a constant supply of fresh air. It lies approximately at a depth of 6-10 cm from the top layer of the earth. The boletus mushroom is perennial. It has excellent adaptability to changes in temperature regimes, so it can withstand both drought and heat, and severe frosts.
In the absence of rain for a long time, the mycelium freezes and stops forming a mushroom body.Low temperatures are also bad for mycelium growth. Boletus grows rapidly with sufficient moisture and heat. The key to a good harvest of mushrooms is frequent, but not prolonged rains and moderate air temperatures. The optimal temperature regime is 18-20 ° С.
How much boletus grows
The growth of fungi begins as soon as the mycelium is fully developed. The boletus grows on average from 3 to 6 days, while the mushroom reaches medium size. Under optimal growing conditions, it grows up to 10-12 cm in 5 days. The boletus leg stops developing 1-2 days earlier than the cap, which then grows only in width.
In early autumn, during the long rainy season, the boletus grows rather quickly, increasing by several centimeters within 24 hours. The full maturity of the fungus occurs 7 days after emergence from the soil.
As quickly as redheads grow, they deteriorate just as quickly. Their life cycle lasts about 2 weeks.
Where to collect boletus
Experienced mushroom pickers say that it is best to look for aspen mushrooms in a mixed forest, where aspens coexist with birches, oaks, pines. Collecting mushrooms is quite simple, as they have a noticeable bright appearance, and they do not hide, but grow in plain sight. But sometimes in dense forests, boletus are under heaps of leaves. Therefore, in the fall, it is easiest to find them in coniferous plantations. Handsome Krasnogolovtsy can be seen from afar even in dense grassy thickets and among fallen leaves.
Boletus are not very fond of loneliness, therefore they often grow up in large families. You can find them along the aspen, birch and alder plantings. Often, aspen mushrooms are chosen by shady thickets of clean and mixed forests, shrubs, edges overgrown with moss, ferns, grass, blueberries. Sometimes they can even be found in swamps. Depending on the type, the redhead chooses 1-2 trees for its partners.
Boletus species | In which forest to collect | Preferred growing place |
Red | In deciduous undergrowth (pure and mixed), young growth of aspen. In a dry summer in damp tall-trunked aspen forests | In the grass, in the glades and on the sides of forest roads, under young trees |
White | In wet birch and mixed | Any wet areas of the forest |
Yellow-brown | Pine-birch, birch, aspen and mixed | On stony, sandy and peaty soils, under fern leaves |
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Mushroom pickers who go on a mushroom hunt in the forest should watch a video where they say how to find and correctly collect aspen mushrooms:
Conclusion
The boletus grows in the summer-autumn mushroom season, delighting lovers of quiet hunting with its beauty. Under favorable weather conditions, the harvest can be quite large. The main thing is to know where the boletus grows and how to collect them correctly. Redheads are highly valued by experienced mushroom pickers, yielding only a little to the "king of mushrooms" boletus. They are loved for their rich, original taste and ease of preparation. Boletus boletuses are prepared in a variety of ways - they are fried, salted, canned and dried.
