Mushroom calendar – what grows in which month in Poland

In Poland mushrooms grow all year round, but every season has its own stars. In spring come morels and treacherous false morels, in summer chanterelles and summer boletes, the peak of the season falls in September and October, in late autumn honey fungus and knights take over, and in winter – when a thaw arrives – velvet shank and jelly ear. Just remember that this calendar is approximate: whether anything appears in the forest depends on the weather of recent weeks, the region and the altitude.

Month by month – a quick overview

This is how the months group into the seasons described below:

• winter: January, February, December,
• spring: March, April, May,
• summer: June, July, August,
• autumn: September, October, November.

Below we describe what to expect in each season.

What grows in spring? (March, April, May)

For a mushroom forager, spring is a time for observation and caution, not full baskets.

Morels – for photos only

Morels, including the common morel (Morchella esculenta) and the black morel (Morchella conica), usually appear from March to May in riverside forests, parks, orchards and at forest edges. Their caps look like a honeycomb. In Poland they are protected species – we don’t pick them, we leave them in the forest. The same goes for the wrinkled thimble-cap (Verpa bohemica). In many countries some fungi are protected by law, so check the rules where you forage.

False morel – the biggest spring danger

The false morel grows in early spring, most often in pine forests on sandy soil. It has a chestnut-brown cap folded like a brain and is sometimes mistaken for morels. It is deadly poisonous. Spring mushrooms with folded caps are therefore a double “no”: morels are protected, and the false morel can kill.

Other spring species

From April you can find St George’s mushroom in meadows, thickets and orchards. Be careful: poisonous fibrecaps (Inocybe), which appear a little later, look similar. At the end of spring, dryad’s saddle grows on the trunks of broadleaf trees, and in broadleaf forests you may come across the fool’s mushroom (Amanita verna), rare in Poland – white and deadly poisonous.

What grows in summer? (June, July, August)

The real mushroom season starts in summer, especially after warm, stormy rain.

• Chanterelles appear from early summer in coniferous and mixed forests. Instead of typical gills they have distinctive ridges. Watch out for the similar false chanterelle.
• Summer bolete grows under oaks and beeches, often as one of the first boletes of the year.
• Scaber stalks and brittlegills grow under birches and hornbeams, in mixed forests.
• Parasol mushroom appears from late summer at forest edges, in clearings and meadows.
• Sulphur shelf forms bright yellow fruiting bodies on the trunks of broadleaf trees.

Summer is also when the death cap season begins. It is the most dangerous mushroom in Poland, and it usually appears from July in broadleaf and mixed forests. Always examine any mushroom with white gills together with its stem base.

The peak of the season: September and October

These are the months every forager waits for. In damp, moderately warm weather the forest can be covered in mushrooms.

At this time you will find, among others:

• penny buns (Boletus edulis) and pine boletes,
• bay boletes, often the most numerous in baskets,
• slippery jacks under pines and larches,
• saffron milk caps and other milk caps under pines and spruces,
• parasols at forest edges,
• honey fungus, which usually starts in September.

The peak of the season, however, is also the peak of poisonings. The forests are then full of both foragers and poisonous mushrooms, Amanitas included. A flush of mushrooms tempts you to hurry, and hurry is a forager’s worst adviser.

Late autumn: November and early December

When the nights turn cold and the first frosts nip the grass, the season is far from over.

• Honey fungus clusters on stumps, roots and at the base of trees, often until November. Remember its poisonous look-alikes, the sulphur tuft and the deadly poisonous funeral bell.
• Knights include, among others, the sooty head (Tricholoma portentosum) and the grey knight in pine forests. Beware of the yellow knight (Tricholoma equestre), which is now considered a dangerous mushroom.
• Gypsy mushroom grows in late summer and autumn, often in pine forests with bilberries.
• Horn of plenty forms dark, trumpet-shaped fruiting bodies in broadleaf forests.
• Oyster mushrooms grow on the trunks of broadleaf trees, even in cold weather.

The poisonous clouded agaric also grows in late autumn, sometimes forming whole rings in the leaf litter.

Do mushrooms grow in winter? (December, January, February)

Yes, and it is one of the nicest surprises for a forager.

• Velvet shank grows in clusters on dead wood of broadleaf trees. Its fruiting bodies tolerate frost and can “come back to life” during a thaw. It has an orange-brown, sticky cap and a velvety stem that darkens towards the base.
• Jelly ear forms gelatinous, ear-shaped fruiting bodies, most often on elder branches. You can find it practically all year round, but it is easiest to spot in the cold, damp months.
• Oyster mushrooms grow on trunks and logs in mild winters.
• Bracket fungi, such as the tinder fungus or turkey tail, have fruiting bodies on trees that stay visible all year round. They are not mushrooms for the basket, but they are great for learning and photography.

How to use the mushroom calendar

• Treat the dates as approximate. A warm autumn shifts the season, a dry one can cut it short, and in the mountains everything follows a different rhythm.
• Look at the weather of recent weeks, not just the calendar. After heavy rain, a flush usually comes with a delay of several days to a couple of weeks.
• Use the Gribo atlas. Species descriptions point out which look-alikes to watch for.
• Leave protected species in the forest.

And one rule above any calendar: identification from a photo or an app does not replace a mycologist. Whether a mushroom can be eaten is decided by a mycologist who examines it in person. In many countries there are mushroom inspection points or mycological societies, and in Poland the sanitary stations assess mushrooms for free. If poisoning is suspected, call the emergency number (112 in the EU) and take the mushroom leftovers to the hospital.