„Earthly paradise” – that’s something like what I wrote to our fellow fungus enthusiasts when we first visited Southern Zala County this August, exploring the Budafapuszta Arboretum and nearby Bázakerettye. Back then, we agreed to return for an autumn adventure together. If only all plans came to life so easily! We went!

It took about half a day for the others (Tímea Borostyán and Gábor Pintér) to see for themselves that I hadn’t been exaggerating. Not only is the area stunning, but the weekend also brought us plenty of first finds—some of which might even turn out to be national firsts once we hear back from Bálint (Dima) about the sequencing of the samples we eagerly pushed on him.

It’s hard to even list all the species we encountered for the first time here. The Hygrophorus mesotephrus and Cortinarius humicola featured in the post are among them, but I could also mention the pyrophilous Plicaria trachycarpa and Lyophyllum anthracophilum, the stunning Entoloma percoelestinum, or the more modest-looking pleurotoid byssisedum and dysthalloides… Of course, these aren’t the only noteworthy finds, so instead of a full list, I’m sharing a gallery—just a selection of favorite photos, nowhere near a complete species inventory.