Overview

• NRW mycologists report a slow start turning into better finds in the Mittelgebirge, with classic edibles like Steinpilz and Maronen now appearing after early September moisture.
• Foresters note more poisoning cases and warn that deadly lookalikes—such as the Knollenblätterpilz mistaken for Champignon—make app-based identification unreliable compared with expert checks.
• Collectors are advised to avoid overripe specimens that can cause stomach issues, use baskets rather than plastic bags, and process edible finds within 24 hours.
• Rules remain strict: only small personal quantities are allowed (about 1 kilogram per person in NRW), selling is prohibited, and collecting is banned in nature reserves and in restricted zones such as the ASF area near Kirchhundem in the Kreis Olpe.
• In Bavaria, researchers count more than 6,000 macrofungi with roughly 20% threatened, and scientists expect climate-driven shifts in species ranges, while radiation authorities say moderate consumption of potentially cesium-accumulating species adds only a small dose.