Every month, museum visitors choose the exhibit they liked the most. What they singled out for June was the mushroom Cortinarius harcynicus.

It is an unusual, not edible species, with a distinct violet color both on its cap and the rest of its body. It fruits from summer to autumn, either alone or in groups, in mountainous coniferous forests, such as those of pine or fir. The cap is hemispherical and convex, with a diameter of 4–8 cm and a velvety or fuzzy texture. Sometimes, its smell is strong and reminiscent of cedar or leather. It is quite rare to encounter it in Greece, but it can be found in Central and Northern Europe.

1/7/2025