Ample rainfall brings mushroom boom to Nova Scotia

Joseph Dalton was shocked to find mushrooms everywhere on his woodland property on Nova Scotia's South Shore.

He described the mushroom boom as giving him an eerie The Last of Us vibe, referring to the TV series that depicts a pandemic triggered by a fungal infection.

"It's like a landslide difference from last year," Dalton said. "I've never seen anything like this in my whole life."

Dalton's discovery was hardly a one-off, as social media has been brimming with similar posts.

People are sharing photos of stems and caps overrunning their backyard lawns, asking for help identifying fungi popping up under their decks, or posting giant shrooms they foraged in the woods — confirming that this year's explosive growth is no isolated incident.

Pieter Heydenrych, a retired resident of Middle Sackville, N.S., has been foraging as an amateur for four to five years. Since late June, he has collected more than 20 kilograms of wild mushrooms, an amount that has left him over the moon about the season.

Not only was there a surge in overall quantity, but Heydenrych also noticed giant specimens among common fungi varieties, including oyster and hedgehog mushrooms.

"It's been fantastic," he said. "Definitely by far the best season I've ever had."

Forager Pieter Heydenrych says he's found an abundance of mushrooms this year. (Submitted by Pieter Heydenrych)

From a mycologist's point of view, this year could see higher numbers than a typical mushroom season in Nova Scotia.

Keith Egger, a retired professor from the University of Northern British Columbia and president of the Nova Scotia Mycological Society, said that while the rain this summer wasn't heavy, it was consistent, prompting an early fungal fruiting this fall.

On top of that, mushrooms are amazingly resilient.

"There was some concern after last year where we had the severe effects of drought, whether the mushrooms would bounce back. And certainly this year they have shown they're very resilient," Egger said.

The moist weather has led to a greater diversity of species, according to Egger, pushing certain species into overdrive — such as the king bolete. Egger said this prized edible mushroom was spotted this year in places where it had either never been seen before or was only rarely found.

Part of the boom also comes down to how fungi reproduce.

"Just as some trees only produce fruit every few years, some fungi produce mushrooms every year while others only produce a mushroom crop years or even decades apart," he said.

He also said the warmer-than-usual fall could extend the mushroom season further, granting more opportunities for fungi to disperse spores and start new growth in different areas.

"So it's certainly good for the mushrooms," Egger said. "It's good if you're interested in mushrooms."