Forests Coniferous forests

Coniferous forests in Denmark are cultivated, often to prevent sand from drifting or eroding. Well adapted to sandy, nutrient-poor soil, conifers transform the forest floor by dropping their needles. The high acidity of spruce needles curbs earthworms and aids the decomposition of organic material, making the floor of a coniferous forest perfect for mushrooms. You can also find some berries and herbs that have adapted to the acidic, nutrient-poor environment.

Two things in particular influence what you find in a coniferous forest and where you find it: the degree of sunlight and the amount of moisture in the soil. You can tell how much sunlight there is just by standing in the forest, but soil moisture depends greatly on when it last rained. If you can time your foraging for one or two weeks after a good rainfall, you'll have excellent chances of finding lots of mushrooms.

Degree of light

The better part of a coniferous forest is cloaked in darkness year round. The trees are evergreen, and because they never lose all their needles at once, very little light penetrates to the forest floor, regardless of season. A few mushrooms can survive in the middle of the dark, shadowy forest, but most—as well as edible plants like wood sorrel, garlic mustard, and raspberries—require a bit of sunlight. Look for them along paths and streams, at the forest edge, and in places where trees have fallen or been cut. Any exposure to the sun will help bushes and herbs develop rapidly.

Moisture in the soil

Soil conditions in coniferous forests can be dry or damp, depending on the proximity of streams and drainage. High grass can also help retain moisture after it rains. Many coniferous forests are surrounded by a protective copse where the soil is damper and mushrooms flourish. Most herbs and berry bushes in coniferous forests also prefer damp conditions, so target areas that aren't too dry.

Gathering in coniferous forests is best left for late summer and fall, but if it's been a particularly dry or wet summer, there won't be much to find. That said, it only takes a favorable microclimate to change everything; one good downpour followed by a handful of warm days creates optimal growing conditions for mushrooms. Some mushrooms pop up quickly and in large numbers, but they also dry up again if the heat continues and the environment turns too dry. The weather, in other words, will determine whether you return from a coniferous forest with a feast or an empty basket.

Spring

The first herbs of spring to appear in coniferous forests are white dead nettles and sand leek, which pop up in patches where they can get sunlight. If the soil is a bit damp, you'll also find wood sorrel—not only in spring, but year round. At the end of April you can pick shoots from Scotch pines, and in clearings you may be lucky enough to find newly sprouted rowan leaves. From May saffron milk caps pop up in bright, open areas beyond the tall grass and near Scotch pines.

Summer

In early summer, you can still find wild herbs and spring mushrooms, but there won’t be many new plants until the end of the season when berries get going, first with raspberries and then with blackberries. Around June, birch boletes begin popping up at the base of birch trees, while the first chanterelles appear around dense patches of lichen that the sun’s rays have reached.

Late summer, fall, and winter

Beginning in August, a coniferous forest becomes a real wonderland. Dewberries and wild apples emerge in clearings, but it’s the explosion of different varieties of mushrooms that makes things really exciting. If it has rained enough and temperatures are still warm, you’ll find Karl Johan mushrooms in clearings and along forest paths. From September you'll also be able to pick hedgehog mushrooms, crab brittlegills, bay boletes, and many other kinds of mushrooms—both inside the forest and in bright, open areas at its edge. Mushroom season typically lasts until October, or until the first frost sets in.