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The fact that it is necessary to look for boletus in places where aspen grows has been known for a long time. This, in particular, is indicated by the name of the mushroom. He is also known as the red-headed, red-headed, aspen, mixed-skinned, red-haired, red mushroom.
Boletus belongs to the group of elite mushrooms due to its exquisite taste and bright nutty aroma. The hat of the redhead can have a different color depending on the amount of sunlight absorbed and the moisture it receives. The boletus grows, like many other mushrooms, only at a certain time and in places suitable for it.
Where do boletus grow
Aspen mushrooms (pictured) grow in almost any forest. You can meet them both in aspen forests and in mixed plantations – coniferous or deciduous. In a pure spruce forest, redheads are unlikely to be found. In hot and dry periods, they most often grow in young aspen groves.
Absolutely anyone can fall in love with a place for redheads. Most of all they like forest areas protected from direct sunlight and blown by light warm winds. They love wet lowlands, shady bushes, woodlands overgrown with a variety of grass or moss.
Aspen mushrooms are a group of fungi belonging to the botanical family of the Boletov family of the genus Leccinum. They differ mainly in the size and color of the hat. At the same time, different types of aspen mushrooms grow only in places suitable for them.
Types of boletus
All redheads are edible, of the same nutritional value, so it is often difficult for mushroom pickers to distinguish between them. In order not to confuse the boletus with other mushrooms during the collection, you need to know how this or that variety looks, to study their distinctive features and characteristics.
The main representatives of the genus are white, red and yellow-brown redhead. Also, there are such species as pine, oak, colored-legged and black-scaled.
Красный (orange dress)
Key Features:
- The hat is red, red-brown, red-red or orange.
- Leg height – 5-17 (20) cm.
- Thickness – 1,2-2,6 (6) cm.
- Hat diameter – 5-20 (30) cm.
It occurs in the forest zone of Eurasia, in the northwestern and European parts of Our Country, in Siberia, in the Urals, the Caucasus, and the Far East.
Yellow-brown (Leccinum versipelle)
The cap of the mushroom is yellow with a brown or orange tinge. Leg height – 7-23 cm. Thickness – 1,5-4 (7) cm.
It grows in northern regions with a temperate continental climate. In the European part of Our Country, in the Far East. In low-lying birch, aspen, spruce-birch and pine-birch forests.
White
The hat of the species is white, gray-brown, its diameter is 4-16 (25) cm. The height of the leg is 4-10 (15) cm, the thickness is 1,2-3 (7) cm.
A rare species found in Moscow and the Moscow region, in Siberia, Chuvashia, Western Europe, North America, in the Baltic countries.
Painted-footed (Leccinum chromape)
Pink hat. Pink and red scales cover the entire surface of the leg. It is white-pink above, yellowish below. Widespread in East Asian and North American countries.
Sosnovy (Leccinum fox)
The hat is velvety to the touch, red-brown with a raspberry tint. Leg height – 10-15 cm, thickness – 2-5 cm. Hat diameter – 15 cm or more.
Grows in Europe with a temperate climate.
Oak (Leccinum quercinum)
Red or orange hat. Leg height – up to 15 cm, thickness – 1,5-3 cm. Hat diameter – 8-15 cm.
It has some similarities with boletus. Partner tree – oak. It grows in northern latitudes with a temperate climate.
Black-scaled (Leccinum atrostipiatum)
The hat comes in different colors – from dark red to red-orange and terracotta red. Leg height – 8-13 cm, thickness – 2-4 cm. Hat diameter – 5-15 cm.
It grows in oak groves and mixed plantings in the northern regions.
Why do aspen mushrooms grow under aspens
The boletus got its name due to the similarity of the color of the cap with the color of autumn aspen leaves, and also because of its close symbiosis with it. At its core, the redhead is a parasite. The fungus penetrates the root system of the tree, thereby forming a special cohesion called mycorrhiza. Thus, there is an exchange process between them. The boletus receives from the aspen the organic substances necessary for the full development and growth. In return, the fungus gives the partner tree water and minerals.
This mutual exchange has a beneficial effect on redheads. Therefore, most often you can find boletus in the forest under aspens.
When the boletus grows
The growth of redheads occurs in layers or periods, like many other mushrooms. The first single specimens appear already at the beginning of summer, but aspen mushrooms begin to grow massively a little later – in July. Mushroom growth continues until autumn, until the onset of the first frost.
But redheads do not grow constantly, but with breaks for rest. The duration of the mushroom layer depends on the amount of precipitation and temperature. The most intensive mushroom growth is observed in September.
The time for collecting boletus is stretched for a long time. At the same time, the first mushrooms are called differently, depending on the time of appearance:
- Kolosoviki. They appear during haymaking and during the earing of winter crops.
- Reapers. They begin to grow during the harvest season.
- November workers. They appear in early autumn.
Between layers and after, a rare single appearance of fungi is possible. Often this is observed during the wet summer period, when fruiting is not too pronounced for periods.
Mushroom variety | Fruiting terms | Features |
Spikelets (white and yellow-brown boletus) | End of June and first half of July | Fruiting is not too abundant |
Zhnivniki (oak, red and black-scaled boletus) | Second half of July or August-September | The yield is very high |
Leaf fall (spruce and pine redhead) | Second decade of September and end of October | Long fruiting period until frost |
At what temperature do aspen mushrooms grow
For the growth and full development of the mycelium, a temperature of 12 to 22 ° C is required, with a constant supply of fresh air. It lies approximately at a depth of 6-10 cm from the top layer of the earth. Mushroom boletus is a perennial. It has excellent adaptability to changes in temperature conditions, so it can tolerate both drought and heat, as well as severe frosts.
With a long absence of rain, the mycelium freezes and stops forming the mushroom body. Low temperatures also adversely affect the growth of mycelium. The rapid growth of boletus occurs with a sufficient amount of moisture and heat. The key to a good harvest of mushrooms is frequent, but not prolonged rains and moderate air temperatures. The optimum temperature regime is 18-20 ° С.
How much does the boletus grow
Mushroom growth begins as soon as the mycelium is fully developed. The boletus grows on average from 3 to 6 days, while the fungus reaches medium size. Under optimal growing conditions, it grows up to 5-10 cm in 12 days. The boletus stem stops developing 1-2 days earlier than the cap, which then grows only in width.
At the beginning of autumn, during the long rainy season, the boletus grows quite quickly, increasing by several centimeters within 24 hours. Full maturity of the fungus occurs on the 7th day after emergence from the soil.
As quickly as redheads grow, so quickly they deteriorate. Their life cycle lasts about 2 weeks.
Where to collect boletus
Experienced mushroom pickers say that it is best to look for boletus in a mixed forest, where aspens are adjacent to birches, oaks, and pines. Picking mushrooms is quite easy, as they have a noticeable bright appearance, and they do not hide, but grow in plain sight. But sometimes in dense forests, aspen mushrooms are under heaps of leaves. Therefore, in autumn it is easiest to find them in coniferous plantations. Handsome redheads can be seen from afar even in dense grassy thickets and among fallen leaves.
Aspen mushrooms do not like loneliness, so they often grow up in large families. You can find them along aspen, birch and alder plantations. Aspen mushrooms often choose shady thickets of pure and mixed forests, shrubs, edges overgrown with moss, ferns, grass, blueberries. Sometimes they can even be found in swamps. Depending on the species, the redhead chooses 1-2 trees as partners.
Types of boletus | In which forest to collect | Preferred place of growth |
Red | In deciduous undergrowth (pure and mixed), young growth of aspen. In a dry summer in damp tall aspen forests | In the grass, in glades and forest roadsides, under young trees |
White | In wet birch and mixed | Any wet areas of the forest |
yellow-brown | Pine-birch, birch, aspen and mixed | On stony, sandy and peaty soils, under fern leaves |
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Mushroom pickers who go mushroom hunting in the forest should watch a video where they say how to look for and properly collect boletus mushrooms:
Conclusion
The boletus grows in the summer-autumn mushroom season, delighting lovers of quiet hunting with its beauty. Under favorable weather conditions, the harvest can be quite large. The main thing is to know where the boletus grows and how to collect them correctly. Red-headed mushrooms are highly valued by experienced mushroom pickers, yielding only a little to the “king of mushrooms” boletus. They are loved for their rich, original taste and ease of preparation. Aspen mushrooms are prepared in a variety of ways – fried, salted, canned and dried.