Forests › Washington

Mushroom foraging in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

13 of our 17 species have habitat in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (about 7,304 km² of public forest mapped). This week 6 of them are flushing somewhere in the forest. 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

3,240 km² of habitat · season here 30 May – 16 Jun

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

Lobster

Hypomyces lactifluorum on Russula

Out of season

1,525 km² of habitat · season here 2 Sep – 19 Oct

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

Chicken of the woods (conifer)

Laetiporus conifericola

Out of season

1,354 km² of habitat · season here 24 Aug – 22 Sep

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

Fall king bolete

Boletus edulis group

Out of season

1,340 km² of habitat · season here 21 Sep – 27 Oct

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

Shrimp russula

Russula xerampelina group

Some flushing

1,242 km² of habitat · season here 8 Oct – 10 Nov

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

Matsutake

Tricholoma murrillianum

Some flushing

1,055 km² of habitat · season here 13 Oct – 16 Nov

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

Bear's head

Hericium abietis, H. erinaceus, H. coralloides

Out of season

965 km² of habitat · season here 25 Sep – 23 Oct

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

Natural morels

Morchella spp.

Out of season

799 km² of habitat · season here 15 Apr – 15 May

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

Cauliflower

Sparassis radicata

Flushing peak Thursday, Nov 5

370 km² of habitat · season here 4 Oct – 3 Nov

At the base of Douglas-fir and pines, often on the same tree year after year; autumn, winter in California.

Burn morels

Morchella spp., recent fires

Out of season

347 km² of habitat · season here 15 Apr – 15 May

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

Hedgehog

Hydnum spp.

Flushing peak Wednesday, Nov 11

276 km² of habitat · season here 24 Oct – 3 Dec

Douglas-fir, hemlock and spruce; in California tanoak, live oak, madrone and Bishop pine. Late: into winter.

Oyster

Pleurotus ostreatus group

Some flushing

112 km² of habitat · season here 30 Apr – 10 Jun and 27 Sep – 7 Nov

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

Yellowfoot

Craterellus tubaeformis

Flushing peak Wednesday, Nov 11

35 km² of habitat · season here 25 Oct – 5 Jan

Western hemlock above all, on rotten wood and moss in old wet forest; late autumn into winter.

"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 Washington (GBIF, 2000-2026). How accurate is this?

Picking rules

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.

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Safety

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