A perfect start to autumn

Today, at 9.30am, I went out with my boyfriend to my number one spot, which I've been going to regularly since 2012. In September, 100 millimetres of rain fell, including on the night of the turn of the month. So everything was wet. By the time I made my way through the trees on the trail, the sun was out and I was breathing in the wonderful smell of mushrooms and humid air, taking photos of the mushrooms. They were growing everywhere. It had been months since I had experienced such wonder. And not for years has October 1st been so perfect and wonderful. This is a real blessing, a mercy after a terrible summer, which was a serious warning of what was to come. Unfortunately, we tend to get stuck in the present and don't bother to prepare, even though next summer could be just as hellish as this one. It is vitally important to keep the rainfall that is now filling up the soil in the landscape and not to drain it away! The ground is so dry that there are no deep puddles anywhere yet. I could walk on the dirt roads without any problems. I don't really understand people. Climate change is a global threat. In fact, we need to systematically prepare for increasingly severe phenomena all year round. But everyone's attention is now distracted by the Russia-Ukraine war and the Russian president's nefarious ploy to blackmail us with natural gas. This is a warning that we are effectively an oil and gas-dependent species, and our glorious conquest of the planet will only last as long as we have access to this extra energy source. Our current global civilisation is collapsing. He was a complete idiot who fantasized about the possibility of unlimited growth in a finite space. Giant stars of 80-100 solar masses are short-lived, lasting only a few tens of millions of years, while our Sun is four billion years old. So is our species, which has eight billion individuals. How long do you think the living world can endure our terrible hunger?! Well the collapse is closer than I think.

But there were no gloomy thoughts in my head at ten o'clock. I genuinely rejoiced in a state of grace, when almost everything is perfect and I can admire the mushrooms, the totems of nature. In the first picture, I captured two blushers Amanita rubescens in the palm of my friend's hand. This mushroom is edible after thorough cooking. It can be sold in markets in Hungary, but buyers should be warned that it is slightly poisonous if not properly cooked.  The second picture is the path I started on. In the foreground are a pair of ringed milkcaps Lactarius zonarius. Unfortunately, most Lactarius species have a pungent taste. Although I know that they are eaten specially prepared in northern countries. Important knowledge for beginner mushroom pickers is that under oaks doesn't grow saffron milkcap Lactarius deliciosus.

I took some of the fruitung bodies I had collected at the market with me, because I invited others to join me on the mushroom hike. I like to teach beginners and pass on my enthusiasm for mushrooms. If one has a strong passion for something and that passion supports life, it is strongly recommended to pass it on to others. It would be timely to realise that eating up the living world is tantamount to the premature demise of our species. Life must be supported. We love to live, so why do we behave like suicide bombers? Moderation and a series of conscious choices support life. Don't fall for the advertising! You can't buy everything! Your money won't save you from water shortages!

Yes, I am back to the most worrying topic, water. As I walked the familiar path, I was sad to see that the large cracks in the ground had not yet closed. Currently, the water deficit is still around 100 millimetres. And the whole landscape is severely water scarce! A spectacular sign of this is the death of oak trees. The Quercus robur is the number one tree of my county. As I write this, I have the tree in front of me as clearly as if I were standing in front of it, and the details of the species are spinning in my head. Oak is home to an amazing variety of organisms and, of course, a lot of fungi! I love being in the oaks. Their destruction is my great sorrow. When will we understand that our lives will be terribly poor without trees and mushrooms. Without the living world, we are nothing. We have been sucked into the consumer stupor. Our species is addicted, and crazy if it doesn't come to its senses. My photos show what we are about to sacrifice.