Aurelija Plūkė to lead mushroom foraging championship in Varėna

Mushroom expert and educator Aurelija Plūkė is preparing for the start of Lithuania’s 24th mushroom foraging championship. The event is scheduled to begin early on Saturday, September 12, in the ethnographic village of Žiurų, located in the Varėna district.

Plūkė, who has shared her passion for mushrooms through blogging and macro photography, noted that the forest has been particularly bountiful this year. Her interest in the subject deepened during the pandemic, leading her to study mycological information extensively in English to supplement local resources.