Forests › Oregon

Mushroom foraging in Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest

15 of our 17 species have habitat in Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (about 4,659 km² of public forest mapped). This week 10 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

Chicken of the woods (conifer)

Laetiporus conifericola

Out of season

3,493 km² of habitat · season here 4 Sep – 13 Oct

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

Flushing peak Thursday, Nov 5

3,357 km² of habitat · season here 11 Oct – 3 Nov

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

Shrimp russula

Russula xerampelina group

Flushing peak Thursday, Nov 5

2,867 km² of habitat · season here 7 Sep – 4 Nov

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

Hedgehog

Hydnum spp.

Flushing peak Saturday, Nov 7

2,849 km² of habitat · season here 26 Oct – 17 Jan

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

Bear's head

Hericium abietis, H. erinaceus, H. coralloides

Flushing peak Thursday, Nov 5

2,803 km² of habitat · season here 24 Oct – 21 Nov

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

Lobster

Hypomyces lactifluorum on Russula

Out of season

2,763 km² of habitat · season here 27 Aug – 19 Oct

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

Matsutake

Tricholoma murrillianum

Flushing peak Saturday, Nov 7

2,619 km² of habitat · season here 27 Oct – 19 Nov

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

Cauliflower

Sparassis radicata

Flushing peak Thursday, Nov 5

2,197 km² of habitat · season here 12 Oct – 24 Nov

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

Oyster

Pleurotus ostreatus group

Flushing peak Wednesday, Nov 11

1,747 km² of habitat · season here 10 May – 22 Jun and 3 Sep – 7 Nov

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

Chanterelle

Cantharellus formosus, C. californicus

Flushing peak Thursday, Nov 5

1,524 km² of habitat · season here 2 Oct – 18 Nov

Second-growth Douglas-fir and western hemlock, Sitka spruce; coast live oak in California.

Black trumpet

Craterellus calicornucopioides

Out of season

1,421 km² of habitat · season here 25 Nov – 11 Jan

Tanoak above all, also madrone and live oak; moss and deep shade. California and southern Oregon, winter to spring.

Spring king

Boletus rex-veris

Out of season

1,151 km² of habitat · season here not enough records

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

Candy cap

Lactarius rubidus, L. rufulus

Flushing peak Thursday, Nov 5

1,142 km² of habitat · season here 4 Nov – 23 Dec

Tanoak, live oak, Douglas-fir and Bishop pine in the coastal fog belt; winter in California, November further north.

Yellowfoot

Craterellus tubaeformis

Flushing peak Wednesday, Nov 11

936 km² of habitat · season here 7 Nov – 7 Jan

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

Natural morels

Morchella spp.

Out of season

586 km² of habitat · season here 8 Apr – 3 May

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

"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 Oregon (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.