Foraging & Wild ID

Identify wild mushrooms safely. Choice edibles, deadly look-alikes, and regional guides.

138 tips across 20 topics

Foraging Basics & Safety

10 tips

  • What are the golden rules of mushroom foraging?
  • How do you use spore prints for mushroom identification?
  • What should you bring on a mushroom foraging trip?
  • +7 more...

Choice Edible Species

12 tips

  • How do you identify and forage chicken of the woods?
  • How do you identify and forage hen of the woods (maitake)?
  • How do you identify and forage chanterelles?
  • +9 more...

Deadly & Toxic Species

12 tips

  • How do you identify the death cap mushroom?
  • How do you identify the destroying angel mushroom?
  • How do you identify deadly galerina?
  • +9 more...

Regional Foraging Guides

10 tips

  • What mushrooms can you forage in British Columbia?
  • What mushrooms can you forage in Ontario?
  • What mushrooms can you forage in Quebec?
  • +7 more...

Visual Identification Guide

15 tips

  • How do you identify chanterelle mushrooms?
  • What is a false chanterelle and how to tell the difference?
  • How do you identify chicken of the woods?
  • +12 more...

Chaga Identification & Harvesting

10 tips

  • What is chaga and where does it grow?
  • How do you identify chaga on a birch tree?
  • What does false chaga look like?
  • +7 more...

Morel Foraging Guide

10 tips

  • How do you identify morel mushrooms in the wild?
  • What trees are morels most commonly found near?
  • When is morel season and how long does it last?
  • +7 more...

Morel & Chanterelle Varieties

10 tips

  • What is a yellow morel vs a black morel?
  • What is an early morel?
  • What is a black sponge mushroom?
  • +7 more...

North American Foraging by Region

15 tips

  • What wild mushrooms grow in the Pacific Northwest?
  • When is morel season in the Midwest US?
  • What mushrooms can you forage in the Appalachian Mountains?
  • +12 more...

European Foraging Guide

12 tips

  • What wild mushrooms grow in the UK and Ireland?
  • When is mushroom season in the UK?
  • What mushrooms can you forage in Scandinavia?
  • +9 more...

Southern Hemisphere & Tropical Foraging

10 tips

  • What edible wild mushrooms grow in Australia?
  • What wild mushrooms grow in New Zealand?
  • What mushrooms can you forage in South America?
  • +7 more...

Foraging Species by Season

12 tips

  • What mushrooms can you forage in spring?
  • What mushrooms can you forage in summer?
  • What mushrooms can you forage in fall/autumn?
  • +9 more...

Where to Find Wild Mushrooms

15 tips

  • Where do morel mushrooms grow and how do you find them?
  • Where do chanterelles grow?
  • Where do you find chicken of the woods?
  • +12 more...

Mushroom Habitats & Tree Associations

12 tips

  • What mushrooms grow on birch trees?
  • What mushrooms grow on oak trees?
  • What mushrooms grow on pine trees?
  • +9 more...

Chanterelle Species by Region

12 tips

  • What chanterelle species grow in the Pacific Northwest?
  • What chanterelle species grow in California?
  • What chanterelle species grow in the Eastern US?
  • +9 more...

Morel Species by Region

12 tips

  • What morel species grow in the Eastern US?
  • What morel species grow in the Pacific Northwest?
  • What morel species grow in California?
  • +9 more...

Chicken of the Woods & Turkey Tail by Region

10 tips

  • How many chicken of the woods species exist in North America?
  • Where does Laetiporus sulphureus grow in North America?
  • What is Laetiporus cincinnatus and how is it different from sulphureus?
  • +7 more...

Deadly Mushrooms — Where They Actually Grow

10 tips

  • Where do death caps (Amanita phalloides) actually grow in North America?
  • Where do destroying angels (Amanita bisporigera) grow?
  • What is the difference between eastern and western fly agaric?
  • +7 more...

Wild Lion's Mane, Hedgehog & Lobster Mushrooms

10 tips

  • Where do wild Hericium species grow in North America?
  • What is the difference between the 4 wild lion's mane species?
  • Where do lobster mushrooms grow?
  • +7 more...

Porcini, Black Trumpet & Other Choice Edibles

10 tips

  • Where do porcini (Boletus edulis) grow in North America?
  • What is Boletus edulis var. grandedulis?
  • Where do black trumpets grow?
  • +7 more...