Here it is almost the end of July, and we're still reminiscing about spring mushrooming on Mt. Hood.
True, our success was somewhat limited this year. We found our usual giant puffballs mid-May. Then, events conspired against us, and we weren't able to venture to our favorite morel and bolete spots until June. Nonetheless, the mushroom gods smiled fondly upon us, gifting us with a bolete, and one that had a lot of character. As you might guess from the misshapen cap of this particular mushroom, it had forced its way through a mound of gravel and disturbed soil before bursting into the daylight, undoubtedly accompanied by a loud Hallelujah chorus.
The cap may not have been perfectly shaped, but
the quality and condition of the flesh was A+.
Maybe that's part of our fascination with mushrooming: it's never the same; there's always something new to learn, and frequently a surprise or two in store for us whenever we're hunting the elusive spring fungi.
Noticing what's growing near a specimen may
aid in locating more of them.