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United States · August

What foragers look for in August

26 of the 29 mushrooms, fruits and nuts on this calendar have US records in August. Records differ a lot by state, so each row lists the states where August clears the listing line.

Never eat anything based on this page or on the app. These tables show when people recorded these species in public datasets. They do not say anything is ripe, edible or safe, and they do not help identify a find. Confirm every find with a qualified local expert.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
  1. American plumPrunus americana
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=632 US records · listed for August in 4 states: Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin
  2. Black trumpets and other CraterellusCraterellus spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=12,653 US records · listed for August in 29 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts and 17 more
  3. Blueberries, huckleberries and relativesVaccinium spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=11,635 US records · listed for August in 30 states: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and 18 more
  4. ChagaInonotus obliquus
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=3,049 US records · listed for August in 13 states: Alaska, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and 1 more
  5. Hickories and pecanCarya spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=1,595 US records · listed for August in 16 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and 4 more
  6. PawpawAsimina triloba
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=6,255 US records · listed for August in 18 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina and 6 more
  7. Wild grapesVitis spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=3,506 US records · listed for August in 18 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and 6 more
  8. Oyster mushroomsPleurotus spp.
    Records tailing off
    96% of this row's US peak · n=40,734 US records · listed for August in 42 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and 30 more
  9. ElderberriesSambucus spp.
    Records tailing off
    93% of this row's US peak · n=15,365 US records · listed for August in 36 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana and 24 more
  10. Hedgehog mushroomsHydnum spp.
    Records rising
    92% of this row's US peak · n=1,558 US records · listed for August in 6 states: Indiana, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Washington
  11. ChanterellesCantharellus spp.
    Records tailing off
    89% of this row's US peak · n=23,592 US records · listed for August in 38 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois and 26 more
  12. SumacsRhus spp.
    Records tailing off
    85% of this row's US peak · n=22,449 US records · listed for August in 41 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and 29 more
  13. ChokecherryPrunus virginiana
    Records tailing off
    85% of this row's US peak · n=2,382 US records · listed for August in 16 states: California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, South Dakota and 4 more
  14. Black walnutJuglans nigra
    Records rising
    79% of this row's US peak · n=2,642 US records · listed for August in 21 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey and 9 more
  15. Wild roses (hips)Rosa spp.
    Records rising
    77% of this row's US peak · n=12,644 US records · listed for August in 32 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts and 20 more
  16. Black cherryPrunus serotina
    Records tailing off
    77% of this row's US peak · n=2,275 US records · listed for August in 16 states: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and 4 more
  17. Prickly pearOpuntia spp.
    Records tailing off
    71% of this row's US peak · n=4,369 US records · listed for August in 8 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Utah
  18. Chicken of the woodsLaetiporus spp.
    Records rising
    66% of this row's US peak · n=58,827 US records · listed for August in 40 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and 28 more
  19. American persimmonDiospyros virginiana
    Records rising
    60% of this row's US peak · n=7,992 US records · listed for August in 23 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi and 11 more
  20. King boleteBoletus edulis
    Records rising
    58% of this row's US peak · n=6,634 US records · listed for August in 16 states: Alaska, California, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and 4 more
  21. HazelnutsCorylus spp.
    Records tailing off
    54% of this row's US peak · n=1,896 US records · listed for August in 13 states: California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and 1 more
  22. Serviceberries (juneberries)Amelanchier spp.
    Records tailing off
    52% of this row's US peak · n=1,558 US records · listed for August in 8 states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
  23. Blackberries, raspberries and relativesRubus spp.
    Records tailing off
    40% of this row's US peak · n=19,447 US records · listed for August in 25 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire and 13 more
  24. Giant puffballCalvatia gigantea
    Records rising
    24% of this row's US peak · n=7,043 US records · listed for August in 15 states: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and 3 more
  25. Lion's mane and other HericiumHericium spp.
    Records rising
    23% of this row's US peak · n=21,090 US records · listed for August in 17 states: Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and 5 more
  26. Wild strawberriesFragaria spp.
    Records tailing off
    18% of this row's US peak · n=1,400 US records · listed for August in 3 states: Colorado, Oregon, Washington

"Peak month" is the month with the most US records for that row; "rising" and "tailing off" describe the counts either side of it, nothing about the plant or fungus.

Questions

What can you forage in August?

This page cannot tell you what is safe to forage. It shows what people across the US record in August: American plum, Black trumpets and other Craterellus, Blueberries, huckleberries and relatives, Chaga, Hickories and pecan, Pawpaw, Wild grapes, Oyster mushrooms. Check your own state's page, and confirm every find with a qualified local expert.

Is August a good month for mushrooms?

9 of the 11 mushroom groups on this calendar have US records in August. Records are not a forecast for your patch.

Source and date

Counts are public records by calendar month, shown as a share of each row's busiest month. A record means someone reported the species that month; it says nothing about quantity, ripeness or safety. Records follow where and when people go out, so busy weekends and popular parks count more than remote ground.

iNaturalist
Research-grade observations, all 50 states, all years to 2026-10-20: mushrooms as all observations; fruit and nut plants as observations annotated "Fruits or Seeds". Retrieved 2026-10-20 from the iNaturalist API. inaturalist.org
Rows
A row appears when August holds at least 10% of the row's busiest US month. The state list uses each state's own rows. Common names are the ones foragers use and are not an identification; the scientific name is the source's taxon.

Pick your state · Mushroom season calendar

Record what you find

Forager's Field Notes is a private journal: your own names, your own patches, stored only on your phone. Log a find and your own calendar builds itself, week by week, with a year wheel you can share and a field checklist for next month.

It never identifies species or judges edibility. Free to start, no account.

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