Harvest time: Czechia’s mushroom season in full swing
Thousands of Czechs are heading for the country’s thick pine forests these days to pick mushrooms, as the humid and relatively warm weather creates perfect conditions for their growth. This popular Czech pastime has even taken over the social media, where thousands of fungi fans are posting their finds.
Early autumn is traditionally the peak of the mushroom season in Czechia and this year is no exception. In fact, thanks to the current weather conditions, the mushroom crop promises to be more bountiful than in the previous year.
According to mycologists, parasol and slippery jack mushrooms are currently the mostly commonly reported, but the most sought-after boletus varieties have also started to appear.
With the increased mushroom-picking activity, doctors have begun to report the first cases of mushroom poisoning, while police officers have been dealing with a growing number of cases of people getting lost or injured in the forest.
Police in the Karlovy Vary Region have even launched a series of preventive measures aimed at increasing the safety of mushroom pickers who venture into the forests.
In recent days, police officers have been stationed at popular mushroom picking locations, distributing leaflets with advice on how to move safely in the countryside. In addition to leaflets, they have also been handing out whistles that can be used for calling help in an emergency.
As of last year, mushroom pickers can also consult a special map created by experts from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, which tells them which parts of the country are most suitable for mushroom hunting at a given time, and is updated on a daily basis.
You can find more about the map here: Czech mushroom pickers have special map predicting mushroom growth in different areas
