PNW Mushroom Fruiting Calendar When to find edible mushrooms in Oregon & Washington

The Pacific Northwest has two major mushroom seasons. Spring runs from March through June, starting at low elevations and moving into the mountains. Fall kicks off with the return of rain in September and peaks in October with the highest abundance and diversity of the year.

The charts below show relative fruiting patterns based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon and Washington. Weather, elevation, proximity to the coast, and which side of the Cascades you’re on will shift these windows significantly in any given year.

Foraging elsewhere in the West? California’s season peaks in December and January, not October: see the California mushroom calendar, or find month-by-month calendars for towns from British Columbia to Arizona on the mushroom calendar by town pages.

Reading the charts

Taller bars mean more research-grade iNaturalist observations that month, scaled to that mushroom’s own busiest month, so bars can’t be compared between mushrooms. Observations also reflect when people are out looking. These show relative patterns, not exact counts — use them to plan your season, not predict a specific week.

Spring

Natural black morel (Morchella snyderi) with honeycomb cap growing in Pacific Northwest forest
Spring

Morels

Morchella spp.

Landscape and yellow morels start in March–April at low elevations. Natural morels fruit after snowmelt in the mountains, April–June, and burn morels fruit the spring after a fire, into July at higher elevations.

Photo: Alan Rockefeller / CC BY
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington
Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) growing in overlapping shelves on a dead hardwood in the Pacific Northwest
Spring Fall

Oyster Mushrooms

Pleurotus spp.

Saprobic shelf mushrooms on dead hardwoods, especially red alder, and sometimes conifers. They are recorded in both spring and fall, with smaller numbers through the rest of the year. Several species are involved and their names are unsettled.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington

Plan your spring forays with real-time soil data

Forayz shows soil temperature, soil moisture, and precipitation — the conditions that drive morel and oyster mushroom fruiting across the PNW.

Open Forayz Map

Summer

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus) showing bright orange and yellow shelf brackets growing on a hardwood tree
Summer Fall

Chicken of the Woods

Laetiporus spp.

Orange-and-yellow shelf fungus. L. conifericola, on conifer wood (especially true firs and spruce), is the common PNW species; L. gilbertsonii, on hardwoods, is mostly limited to low inland valleys. Eat only young, soft-edged brackets; some people get an upset stomach.

Photo: Drew Henderson / CC BY-SA
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington

Fall

October is the peak of PNW mushroom season. Fall rain brings most edible groups into fruit.

Pacific golden chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus) with golden funnel-shaped cap on forest floor
Fall

Chanterelles

Cantharellus spp.

Pacific golden chanterelles (C. formosus) are the most common, in moss and duff under Douglas-fir and western hemlock, far more often west of the Cascade crest. Rainbow chanterelles (C. roseocanus) grow under coastal Sitka spruce, and white chanterelles are found from late summer through fall. They often appear a couple of weeks after fall rain returns and keep coming until freezing weather.

Photo: M. Astrophel Crisp / CC BY-SA
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington
King bolete (Boletus edulis) with brown cap and thick white stem in Pacific Northwest conifer forest
Fall

Boletes

Boletus, Suillus, Butyriboletus, Xerocomellus

A large group that includes the king bolete (B. edulis), slippery jacks (Suillus) and butter boletes (Butyriboletus). The king grows in two habitats: Sitka spruce forest on the coast and higher-elevation conifer forest in the Cascades. Most boletes fruit with the fall rain; the spring king (B. rex-veris) comes up on the Cascades’ east slope a few weeks after snowmelt.

Photo: Alan Rockefeller / CC BY
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington
The Prince mushroom (Agaricus augustus) showing large white cap with brown scales in Pacific Northwest woodland
Fall

Button Mushrooms

Agaricus spp.

Wild relatives of the grocery-store button mushroom, found in lawns, parks, along trails and at woodland edges. The prince (A. augustus) is widely rated among the best edibles, though some people react to it. The yellow-stainer (A. xanthodermus) and the forest-dwelling A. hondensis are toxic. Yellow staining alone doesn’t separate them, since the prince stains yellow too.

Photo: Drew Henderson / CC BY-SA
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington
Coral tooth fungus (Hericium coralloides) with white branching spines growing on a dead log in Pacific Northwest forest
Fall

Hericium

Hericium spp.

Bear’s head (H. abietis) is the most common PNW species, on large dead conifers, especially hemlock and true fir; it is common in the Cascades and Olympics and rare at low elevations. Lion’s mane (H. erinaceus) and coral tooth (H. coralloides) grow on hardwoods and are less common. All Hericium are edible with no dangerous look-alikes; try a small amount first.

Photo: Huafang / CC BY-SA
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington
Olive shaggy parasol (Chlorophyllum olivieri) with scaly brown cap on woodland floor in the Pacific Northwest
Fall

Shaggy Parasol

Chlorophyllum spp.

Large, shaggy-scaled mushrooms with a ring and white gills, in rich duff and humus, often near towns. C. brunneum is the common species in the Pacific Northwest, C. olivieri also occurs, and C. rhacodes is less common. They are eaten, but can cause stomach upset or allergic reactions, so use fresh caps, cook them thoroughly and try a small amount first (Siegel & Schwarz, Mushrooms of Cascadia). The toxic C. molybdites, on lawns with greenish gills at maturity, is rare in the Pacific Northwest but spreading north.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington
Shaggy mane mushroom (Coprinus comatus) with elongated white cylindrical cap and shaggy scales
Fall

Shaggy Mane

Coprinus comatus

Tall, white, shaggy-scaled ink cap on wood chips, lawns and churned-up ground beside roads and trails. It can fruit whenever the ground is wet but is far most abundant in fall. The gills dissolve into black ink as the cap opens, so pick young ones and cook them the same day. Avoid roadside and lawn specimens, which can accumulate heavy metals (Siegel & Schwarz). Arora notes a rare reaction with alcohol.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington
Cauliflower mushroom (Sparassis radicata) with ruffled white lobes growing at the base of a Douglas fir
Fall

Cauliflower Mushroom

Sparassis radicata

A large, rounded mass of ruffled, cream-colored lobes at the base of conifers, most often Douglas-fir and spruce. The fungus lives in the roots, so the same tree can fruit in more than one year. Edible and excellent, but some people have severe allergic reactions: cook it well and sample a little first.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington
Matsutake mushroom (Tricholoma murrillianum) showing white cap with cinnamon scales, partially covered by forest duff
Fall

Matsutake

Tricholoma murrillianum

The Pacific matsutake, also called the pine mushroom: firm flesh, a cottony veil and a strongly fragrant, spicy odor. Don’t rely on the odor to identify it. Scent is hard to judge, and the smell of pine mushrooms rubs off on hands and on other mushrooms in the basket. The toxic Amanita smithiana grows in the same forests at the same time of year. It grows with shore pine on coastal sandy soils, and, farther inland, in drier stands of Douglas-fir, true fir and hemlock.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington

Track fall conditions from Washington to California

Forayz layers precipitation, soil moisture, and soil temperature over the map — dial in your timing for chanterelles, boletes, matsutake, and more.

Open Forayz Map

Late Fall & Winter

Several species keep fruiting after the main October peak, extending the season into December and beyond in mild coastal areas.

Hedgehog mushroom (Hydnum) showing pale orange cap with tooth-like spines underneath in Pacific Northwest forest
Fall Winter

Hedgehog Mushroom

Hydnum spp.

Easy to identify by the soft spines (teeth) under the cap instead of gills. Mycorrhizal with conifers, often in the same forests as chanterelles. Recorded from fall into winter. Several PNW species are involved; the European Hydnum repandum does not occur in the Pacific Northwest.

Photo: Mandy Hackney / CC BY
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington
Candy cap mushrooms (Lactarius rubidus) with reddish-brown caps growing in a cluster on forest floor
Fall Winter

Candy Cap

Lactarius rubidus

Small orange-brown milk cap with a dry cap, watery-white latex and a mild taste. It smells of maple syrup when dried, but several similar-looking species don’t (D. Miller, Danny’s DNA Discoveries). Fruits late fall through winter, more commonly in the southwest of the region with tanoak, and in lower-elevation interior valleys under Douglas-fir (Siegel & Schwarz). Orange look-alikes include the poisonous L. rufus, which tastes acrid.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington
Yellowfoot chanterelle (Craterellus) with thin brown cap and yellow stem growing in moss
Fall Winter

Yellowfoot Chanterelle

Craterellus tubaeformis (name as used on iNaturalist)

The winter chanterelle: thin-fleshed, with a brown dimpled cap and a hollow yellow-orange stem, in moss and duff around stumps and rotting wood, especially under western hemlock and Sitka spruce. It fruits late in the season, and is recorded from October into January. The name C. tubaeformis belongs to a European species; the PNW yellowfoot is a distinct species that has not been formally named.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Based on research-grade iNaturalist observations from Oregon & Washington

Sources: Mushrooms of Cascadia (Siegel & Schwarz, 2024); MycoMatch (© Ian Gibson), a compilation of published descriptions through which most other field-guide authors named here are quoted; Danny’s DNA Discoveries and the PNW Pictorial Key (© Danny Miller); iNaturalist observations.

Related Resources

Forayz Map Forayz Guide Edible Mushrooms Guide Mushrooms Hub Finding Morels Poisonous Mushrooms Mushroom Classes Guided Tours Online Lessons