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When to see fungi
Fungi may fruit at any time of the year but in temperate woodlands they are most abundant some time after the autumn or winter rains have soaked the soil. Fruit bodies of fungi are produced intermittently in response to rainfall and temperature. The annual fungal ‘fruiting season’ in Australian woodlands is brief in most years. Each particular area may have a brief period of intense fruiting over several or more days with fewer fruit bodies appearing before and after this peak period.
Hence the absence of fruit bodies of a particular species in a specific area at any point in time does not necessarily confirm that its mycelium network is absent in the area.
Fungal fruit bodies are ephemeral structures (i.e. short lived). In some species they are large, take weeks to mature and then decay, while in others they are small and fragile, appearing and disappearing within a day. Perennial fruit bodies such as some woody bracket fungi may persist and remain visible for many years. At the other extreme are fungi that produce fruit bodies almost immediately after rain.
Tip: There is great joy in discovering fungi on your land so give it a try!
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There is much variation in the timing and duration of fruiting of individual species of fungi, and the fruiting of any particular species cannot always be predicted. Some fungi may suddenly fruit for a short time. Some fungi fruit every year, either once or in several different months, but others do not.
