Text and photos: Urmas Tartes
Translation: Liis

Birch bolete
Monday, September 6, 2010
There is nothing better than good (mushroom) company, pleasant weather and fresh Võrumaa air. All is provided at the Rõuge mushroom days. A week of pure enjoyment – from Monday to Sunday.

Upright coral
Getting out of the woods proved difficult today. The rainy days of last week have painted a multi-coloured pattern of mushroom caps on the forest floor. There are mushrooms to suit all tastes. Birch boletes (Leccinum scabrum) for culinarian mushroom enthusiasts, the upright coral (Ramaria stricta) for the aesthtecially-minded, and tens and hundreds more mushrooms, all telling their own fascinating stories.
Coral tooth
Each year the coral tooth (Hericium coralloides) residing in a well known oak stump has turned out splendidly for the mushroom week. This time its fruiting body started to grow only a few days ago and instead of the long icicle fringes there are just tiny thorns. We will see what it will be like at the end of the week
The Mushroom Week programme
Tuesday, September 7
10:00-19:00 Mushroom exhibition open
11:00 Mushroom excursion, meeting place Rõuge Rahvamaja
Wednesday, September 8
10:00-19:00 Mushroom exhibition open; Mats Kangur’s nature photo programme
11:00 Mushroom excursion, meeting place Rõuge Rahvamaja
Thursday, September 9
10:00-19:00 Mushroom exhibition open, Aigar Kull’s nature photo programme
11:00 Mushroom excursion, meeting place Rõuge Rahvamaja
Friday, September 10
10:00-19:00 Mushroom exhibition open
13:00 Mushroom excursion for Rõuge Elementary School students
14:00 Dimitri Demjanov’s Mushroom Pot (Culinary Institute of Estonia; head chef of restaurant Gloria),
19:00 CONCERT: Jaanus Nõgisto - Jaak Tuksam
Saturday, September 11
10:00-18:00 Mushroom exhibition open, Urmas Tartes’s nature photo programme
12:00 Mushroom preserve competition
Sunday, September 12
10:00-13:00 Mushroom exhibition open
The Mushroom Week is arranged by Viitina Loodushariduskeskus (Viitina Nature Education Centre).
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