IT is the best time of the year for mushrooms, but fungi are never predictable and even though the year so far has been really good it’s no certainty that September and October will live up to expectations.

Strange things mushrooms. The month of August and early September in the Isle of Man has been stop-start with warmth and then rain and then more warmth and more rain - seemingly ideal conditions for a mushroom feast. But the reality was much less predictable.

I have two or three favourite spots for chanterelles - without doubt my favourite amongst the wild mushrooms I’ve discovered in the last few years. Two have yielded similar numbers this year compared to last, but one hardly any at all.

Now there are two theories behind this - the missing chanterelles are having a “gap year” and aren’t bothering with 2010, or another mushroom hunter is getting there before me! Either way, the beautiful glen where the chanterelles have temporarily disappeared has been something of a mystery this year.

During the dry weather I hunted high and low and found hardly a fungi in sight, whereas in 2009 the floor of the glen was absolutely covered with wild mushrooms of all sorts of varieties - some edible, others not.

After a spell of two or three days rain I optimistically re-visited the spot expecting the soaking to have produced a spurt of mushroom mayhem. But no - not one in sight anywhere. Strange. Then, a few weeks later we had another spell of heavy rain for a few days. A glutton for punishment, I went back and - low and behold - there were mushrooms all over the place. Explain that!

Sadly, again the object of my desire - the chanterelles - were not in sight, so I feel my theory that another hunter is getting up earlier than me (not difficult) is probably true. But it’s good to know there are others out there.

As a child, when I saw chanterelles for the first time - with their rich yellow colour and lying in amongst moss on a river bank - I wouldn’t have touched them with a barge pole. ‘Instant death’ I thought. How I wish I had known more. But, to be honest, they are easily recognisable and the distinctive quality that makes them stand out from nasty little “false chanterelles” is the heady smell of apricots - yes, apricots. Weird or what?

Boletes have been really good this year too, but I’ve been a bit unlucky recently as the places I have picked in previous years have again been rather unpredictable. I did find a really good basketful in early September but they had just “gone over” and ended up in the bin.

Ceps, too, have been unpredictable. I currently know of only two or three spots to find the gem of all wild mushrooms - which the Italians adore so much - but again they were over the top and had gone mushy.

But not to worry - it’s just great getting out and about and finding new mushroom sources. The Isle of Man is a wonderful place - and the hunt for mushrooms has taken me to beautiful glens and walks which I didn’t even know existed. And I thought I knew the Isle of Man as well as anyone.

So, mushroom hunting has an added bonus - it takes you to places you may never ever have found otherwise. One tip - always carry a basket and your mushroom guide book in the car . . . and when you’re out and about in the countryside you’d be daft not to take your camera.

Finally, the usual word of warning. Wild mushrooms are one of nature’s great free treasures but there are many items of “fool’s gold” in amongst them. The best answer for me was to go on a course and buy the very best guide book you can afford. The only one worth having - in my humble opinion - is “Mushrooms” by Roger Phillips (Macmillan) which has fantastic illustrations, photographs and extremely detailed descriptions. But the one vital hint is always: if you’re not absolutely 100% sure then don’t try it.