Summer Rains Bring Mushroom Frenzy to New England

Christine Gagnon, of Uncanoonuc Foraging Company, holds a candy apple bolete. (Sarah Gibson/NHPR)

If you were hoping for hot, sunny days on the beach this summer, you’ve been mostly disappointed. But the wet, cool weather has been great for wild mushroom gatherers like Christine Gagnon. She’s known on Facebook for her pictures, including selfies with wild mushrooms, jokingly called “melfies.”

On a recent walk along the Piscataqua River near her house in Goffstown, N.H., she stopped every few yards.

“Everywhere you go, you can’t not see mushrooms!” she exclaimed, pointing to a few peaking through the oak leaves.

You might have noticed this too. Fungi of all colors and kinds have popped up in yards and in the woods. It’s because of the damp conditions, a big shift from the drought conditions of last summer and earlier this year, and a part of the increased precipitation expected with climate change.

Click here for the full story from New Hampshire Public Radio.