Mushroom hunting enthusiasts in the Moscow region are reporting an early start to the season, with the first porcini mushrooms and baskets full of other varieties already being found. Warm weather and ample rainfall are credited with the surge in mushroom growth.

Locations such as Noginsk, Podolsk, Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Pushkin, Troitsk, Shatura, Losino-Petrovsky, and Krasnogorsk districts are among the areas where mushroom pickers are finding success. Social media posts show a variety of mushrooms, including orange-cap boletes, chicken of the woods, and honey mushrooms, being harvested.

Tatyana Pozdnyakova, a specialist at the Meteonovosti news agency, noted that the average air temperature in the Moscow region has been 4-5 degrees above normal in recent days, with the ground temperature reaching 30-35 degrees Celsius. This, combined with warm rains, has created ideal conditions for early mushroom growth.

In addition to mushrooms, some individuals are also finding the first berries of the season.

Mushroom pickers are advised to exercise caution due to increased snake activity in the Moscow region. Vipers, grass snakes, and other reptiles have emerged from hibernation and are becoming more active with the onset of warm weather.