Forests › Northern California

Mushroom foraging in Modoc National Forest

10 of our 17 species have habitat in Modoc National Forest (about 6,865 km² of public forest mapped). No species is flushing widely this week. Updated every night from the weather forecast.

Where the habitat is

5 km squares: darker green means more of the square is habitat for at least one species. The map shows the zones at 250 m.

Species and seasons

Spring king

Boletus rex-veris

Out of season

1,356 km² of habitat · season here 16 May – 10 Jun

Ponderosa, lodgepole and white fir mixed conifer, red fir; follows the snowmelt line.

Chicken of the woods (conifer)

Laetiporus conifericola

Out of season

972 km² of habitat · season here 2 Aug – 25 Sep

Big living or dead conifers: true fir, spruce, hemlock, also pines and redwood; mountains in California, down to the coast further north.

Matsutake

Tricholoma murrillianum

Out of season

830 km² of habitat · season here 22 Nov – 9 Jan

Lodgepole and shore pine, Shasta red fir, tanoak; sandy, acidic, well-drained soils.

Natural morels

Morchella spp.

Out of season

701 km² of habitat · season here 11 Apr – 27 May

Riparian cottonwood, mixed conifer and red fir, aspen; also landscaping wood chips.

Shrimp russula

Russula xerampelina group

In season, quiet this week

314 km² of habitat · season here 2 Nov – 10 Jan

Conifer forest (Douglas-fir, spruce, pine, hemlock), mixed evergreen forest in California.

Lobster

Hypomyces lactifluorum on Russula

Out of season

174 km² of habitat · season here not enough records

Orange mould on short-stemmed russulas under Douglas-fir, spruce, pine and hemlock; late summer to autumn.

Fall king bolete

Boletus edulis group

In season, quiet this week

161 km² of habitat · season here 7 Oct – 12 Dec

Sitka spruce and shore pine dunes, Bishop and Monterey pine, tanoak–madrone, true fir.

Bear's head

Hericium abietis, H. erinaceus, H. coralloides

Out of season

54 km² of habitat · season here 6 Dec – 25 Jan

Large dead wood: true fir and Douglas-fir logs in the mountains, oak and tanoak in California.

Oyster

Pleurotus ostreatus group

Out of season

21 km² of habitat · season here 28 Nov – 15 Jan

Dead alder, cottonwood, maple, oak and tanoak; spring and autumn in Oregon and Washington, winter in California.

Burn morels

Morchella spp., recent fires

Out of season

6 km² of habitat · season here 11 Apr – 27 May

Conifer forest inside last year's fire perimeters; fruits the first spring after the fire.

"Flushing": at least a fifth of the species' habitat in the forest is rated good or better on one of the next 7 days. Season: the middle half of dated finds in this part of Northern California (GBIF, 2000-2026). How accurate is this?

Picking rules

Picking allowed, no permit: Non-matsutake mushrooms: free incidental use without a permit. No free matsutake; commercial permits were not being issued (May 2026). official page

Rules change: always check with the forest before you go. Wilderness areas, research natural areas and some monuments are closed to picking.

The full forage map

250 m habitat zones for 17 species, a 15-day flush outlook that follows the weather and the terrain, public-land picking rules, field mode with offline maps, picking alerts, and photo check-ins. It is in private beta: ask for an invite.

Ask for an invite

Safety

Never eat a wild mushroom unless an expert has identified it in person. Several deadly species grow in these forests.