The forest is full of this species now, and they grow in the open or in the densest of forests like these two.
I found them in a very dense and dark conifer forest with hardly anything growing on the ground and they stood out like torches. These two were the youngest specimens of a cluster, and I wouldn’t be surprised if another mushroom shoots up after the young one has reached maturity, as this is the year of the fungi and each species is simply growing in numbers I have never seen before!
Although they grow everywhere that doesn’t mean there are plenty specimens untouched by slugs or without some other kind of damage – these two were in perfect and pristine condition. But not for long, as they grow fast and will soon turn into a snotty substance if they are not consumed by slugs first.
As I sat here with these amazing specimens I was shaken by a loud trampling sound behind me and as I turned my head I saw a deer pausing a bit further away to check out what the heck of creature it ran in to. It was so loud that it reminded me of coconuts falling to the ground, so it must have been very close to me and extremely startled to find me.
A little while later I noticed a tiny shrew coming out of the ground, but seemingly unaware of me it went into another hole and then came back up and ran further along in search of something only it knew.
This was a beautiful ending of my mushroom hunting that day!
Elevation: 51 meters
Last updated on 7 October 2021
