Blog
PNW Polypores
One type of mushroom you are likely to encouter all year long are the polypores. These mushrooms are often tough, woody, and found growing on the sides of trees, logs, and stumps. Common GeneraGanodermaFomitopsisTrametesThorough Review of PNW Polypores This paper by...
Where I go in the summer
I have had some of the best luck finding summer mushrooms in the Olympics and along the Straight of Juan de Fuca on Vancouver Island. If I could choose anywhere right now, I would pick coastal Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Still, I managed to find a Bears...
Yellow flowerpot parasol mushroom
Have you found a small yellow mushroom growing with a houseplant? It is quite likely to be a mushroom native to tropical areas but found throughout the US with potted plants. This mushroom known as Leucocoprinus birnbaumiiLeucocoprinus birnbaumii moreWhere did it come...
What is a toadstool?
Toadstool is an informal word for a mushroom with certain aesthetic. These mushrooms have a typical umbrella-like cap and central stem growing from the ground. The term toadstool does not refer to any specific mushroom. The most classic example of a toadstool is...
Intro to PNW Mushrooms – Summer
Here is a recording of Intro to Mushrooms from June 30th. We touch on morels, before talking about boletes, the Prince, chanterelles, and a handful of other key species one might find in the summer. I give an overview of iNaturalist and Gaiagps as well.
Tools for finding mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest
Learning to forage and identify mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest takes time. I would like to share some of my favorite sites and apps to help speed up your learning. Even experienced mushroom foragers would likely find a few surprises in here. The best time to pick...
Spring Kings in the Eastern Cascades
A group of us met up in the Lake Wenatchee area on Saturday to look for spring kings (Boletus rex-veris). Both morels and spring kings are found predominently in the eastern Cascades. Morels are the first to show up in early May and boletes later in the month and into...
3 Days at Schneider Springs
Area Overview This video is a summary of the area including the main roads into the burn, some notes on topology, and the season aheadFull members may login to view scouting details, recommendations, and habitatWhere We Looked FS 1500 - both along the main road 1500...
Morel Chart
A selection of PNW MorelsHere is a version of our morel chart that you can save to your device for easy reference. Right now morels are most likely to be found in the mountains with live trees and burns. In Washington, the most abundant species are Morchella brunnea,...
Schneider Springs Burn
Overview One of the best places to search for morels is 1 year-old burn areas. This large 2021 burn is 20 miles west of Naches, WA. In the past week or two, low elevation areas around the burn finally started to fruit. Members are invited to meet up in the area this...