Porcini (aka, Steinpilz, Cepes, King bolete, Boletus rubriceps)

I believe this Colorado porcini are now known as Boletus rubriceps. They differ from B. edulis, B. pinophilus, and B. rex veris. Common name could be Red Bolete, or Rocky Mountain Red.

 
August 2017.  I came across the most remarkable collection of porcini shown below. I was so awed by the beauty and wonder of this assembly that I did not take any.

 
2017 was the best year ever for porcini. Maybe they were eager to rise after 2016, when there were none in our forests and mountains.

More from 2017; near Leadville.

 
August 2014. Found only four this day, but beauties.

A nice day at 11,200 feet in Summit County on August 10, 2010, led me to three perfect porcini and one 14-inch diameter, 4.75-pound specimen that had neither worms nor rot! I think this high-altitude Colorado version of Boletus is Boletus pinophilus, though many call it the classic Boletus edulis.

And a couple days later at 11,600 feet. Very few worms this year (2010)!

And more porcini from a day that where we saw more than we could possibly carry. We found some as high as 11800 feet

The 2013 season is turning out very well so far (July 31 and Aug 2 saw epic porcini harvests for me). The day I took this photo was a 5 PPM (porcini per mile) day; and I went 11 miles.

In German these are steinpilz. This is why.

But they don’t push up only stones: This one actually raised the log.

And more porcini, these from August 14, 2012, at 11300 feet. Great color this year.

And more: Their color is so wonderful. August 2011.

Here’s a porcini pushing up an amanita. Amanitas often mean procini are nearby.

Indeed, one sometimes finds them growing side by side.

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And sometimes one hits the mother lode.

And another gigantum; this and preceding couple are from August 2013, a year to rival the great season of 2010.

Finding a beauty is always a pleasant moment. Here Elke Dratch spots a nice one (August 2015)

Here’s one with nontrivial topology!

The porcini bases are known to be bulbous. Here is a nice example of one we found during the good season of August 2015. Photo by Rudi Brooks,

  
2016 yielded zero porcini. 2017 yielded a huge amount. My best day was with my brother-in-law John and his wife Maureen.