The summer of 2025 in Arizona has been a very dry one. The monsoon, which normally delivers soaking thunderstorms, has been a no-show, leading people to refer to it as a nonsoon. Mushroom hunters have been chasing the clouds in a vain attempt to find their favorite fungi – or any fungi, for that matter. As of late August/early September the monsoon finally produced some sparse precipitation. Just enough rain has fallen to salvage what was looking to be a dismal season.
On Sunday, I participated in a foray led by Luiza Benavides of Desert Alchemist. Our group of 11 searched an area bordered by the Meadow Trail and Mount Lemmon Trail for a couple hours before moving down to the Aspen Draw Trail, where we stayed until darkness descended. We found false chanterelles, boletes, webcaps, oysterlings, brittlegill russulas, sulphur tufts, pholiotas, bird’s nest fungi, turkey tails, ganoderma, puff balls and suillus americanus.
Meeting a great group of like-minded mushroom lovers, finding so many differently mushrooms and learning from Luiza’s insightful descriptions of them made for a great afternoon on the mountain.
