Mushroom foraging season is in full swing, but many people either miss the right timing or don't know when to head into the forest, according to mycologist Ostap Bohoslavets, a researcher at the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Bohoslavets told UNIAN that the best time to go foraging is early in the morning, when there is a greater chance of finding mushrooms that other foragers have not yet picked. He said the main factor at play is human competition, since early hours give foragers an edge over others.
Best time of year to forage
Contrary to popular belief, there is no single defined mushroom season, Bohoslavets said. He noted that Ukraine has many edible species that can be found almost all year round, even in winter, citing the orange-coloured winter honey fungus, which is also sold pickled in shops, and oyster mushrooms.
The most important conditions for mushrooms to appear are warmth and moisture, according to the mycologist. Chances of a good find rise significantly after rain, once the soil has absorbed enough water. However, he said there is no fixed rule for how long after rainfall mushrooms will grow, since this depends on air temperature, humidity and the particular year.
Everything needs to align: a bit of rain, a bit of sun.
Sunny weather alone does not determine how many mushrooms will grow, he said, so foragers should not rely on it as the sole indicator, though sunshine does warm the soil, which matters for the mycelium's development. In other words, it is practically impossible to predict in advance whether a given year will be a good one for mushrooms, even under favourable conditions.
Peak month for porcini mushrooms
The 2026 mushroom season began in late spring, as usual, and will most likely end in late autumn, Bohoslavets said. Mushrooms picked in summer often come with insect larvae, he noted, while those found in autumn, before the first frosts, tend to be cleaner since there are far fewer insects around.
He explained that the porcini mushroom is not a single species but a group of four, each with its own fruiting period. The pine porcini appears first, showing up as early as May and sometimes even April, and can be found until the end of the season.
The summer, or reticulate, porcini follows at the start of summer and also fruits into autumn. Later comes the common porcini, and toward the end of summer foragers may encounter the bronze porcini, though this species is listed in Ukraine's Red Book and is protected from picking.
The season for other popular species, birch boletes and Polish mushrooms, typically runs from around July to October, he said. Honey fungi, meanwhile, cover several distinct species, including meadow, winter and autumn varieties, each with its own fruiting schedule.
Bohoslavets warned that porcini mushrooms can be confused with the bitter bolete, also known as the gall mushroom, which has an extremely bitter taste. While not considered highly toxic on its own, it can ruin the flavour of an entire dish if mixed in.
Where to look and how to pick mushrooms
Known mushroom spots do exist, the researcher said, but they tend to be highly localised. In his view, practice and luck matter most for foragers.
Porcini mushrooms are more commonly found in young forests, particularly birch forests, since as trees grow they interact with fungi that help them establish themselves in the surrounding soil, he explained.
Different mushroom species also have their own preferred neighbouring trees, according to Bohoslavets. The larch bolete can be found almost anywhere larch trees grow, while porcini mushrooms grow in deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests alike. He said the appearance of a good mushroom spot can vary enormously, and recognising one comes down to experience and intuition.
He added that it makes no real difference to the mycelium whether a mushroom is cut or twisted out when picked. However, he recommended pulling mushrooms out of the ground whole, since the appearance of the base of the stem is an important feature for identification.
Remnants of the veil, the protective membrane covering a mushroom, can reveal a lot, he said. A fly agaric emerging from its veil leaves white flecks both near the base of the stem and on the cap, whereas the deadly poisonous death cap only shows veil remnants at the base of the stem, which is often hidden underground. The death cap is frequently mistaken for various russula and tricholoma species with greenish caps, which do not have such a veil at all.
Foragers should always check for veil remnants at the base of the stem, Bohoslavets said, since this easily overlooked detail can help distinguish an edible mushroom from a dangerous lookalike.
About the expert
Ostap Bohoslavets is a Ukrainian mycologist and researcher in the mycology department at the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, holding a PhD in biology. In 2024 he defended a dissertation on xylotrophic basidiomycete fungi in the mountainous part of the Bystrytsia Nadvirnianska river basin. His research focuses on mycology, particularly wood-decaying fungi and the mycobiota of the Carpathians. He previously worked as a senior researcher at the Gorgany Nature Reserve, where he studied fungal diversity.
