Usually, the end of August is one of the most successful periods for mushroom foragers. At this time, forests simultaneously host porcini, aspen mushrooms, birch boletes, chanterelles, and milk caps. However, the recent storm and heavy rainfall may have negatively affected the mushrooms, writes lsm.lv. Daniēle explained that an excess of moisture can be just as detrimental to mushrooms as a lack of it: overly saturated soil can hinder their growth. However, even mycologists do not always manage to explain why mushrooms appear abundantly in some years and are nearly absent in others. Rieksts-Hofmanis also noted that suitable temperatures and sufficient moisture do not guarantee a rich harvest. Sometimes, even under seemingly ideal conditions, the forest remains almost devoid of mushrooms. Currently, there are quite a few chanterelles in some places, but the situation with porcini and other particularly popular tube mushrooms is significantly worse — only a few specimens are found. This season has also been unusually poor from a professional observation standpoint: specialists are recording a relatively small diversity of species. The reason for this remains unclear. The temperature was favorable, there was enough precipitation, and there was no prolonged heat, yet a mass appearance of mushrooms did not occur.
