Forager's Field Notes Get the journal

California · May

What foragers look for in California in May

11 of the 20 species on the California calendar have May records. Listed by how much of each row's year falls in this month.

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.
‹ AprilJune ›
  1. MorelsMorchella spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=3,176 (850 in May)
  2. MulberriesMorus spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=54 (23 in May)
  3. SumacsRhus spp.
    Records tailing off
    88% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=1,069 (167 in May)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 115 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in May.
  4. Prickly pearOpuntia spp.
    Records rising
    87% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=3,132 (372 in May)
  5. Wild strawberriesFragaria spp.
    Records rising
    71% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=255 (77 in May)
  6. HazelnutsCorylus spp.
    Records rising
    51% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=295 (53 in May)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 19 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in August.
  7. ElderberriesSambucus spp.
    Records rising
    38% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=4,818 (508 in May)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 1302 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in July.
  8. Blackberries, raspberries and relativesRubus spp.
    Records rising
    37% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=3,390 (349 in May)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 99 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in June.
  9. Serviceberries (juneberries)Amelanchier spp.
    Records rising
    34% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=101 (11 in May)
  10. Wild roses (hips)Rosa spp.
    Records rising
    25% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=2,785 (143 in May)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 116 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in October.
  11. Wild grapesVitis spp.
    Records rising
    17% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=163 (9 in May)

In California, May is the busiest month of the year for records of: Morels, Mulberries. Records of Black trumpets and other Craterellus, Chanterelles, Hedgehog mushrooms drop below the listing line after April. "Peak month" means the month with the most records for that row; "rising" and "tailing off" describe the record counts on either side of it, nothing about the plant or fungus itself.

‹ AprilJune ›

Questions

What do foragers look for in California in May?

In public records for California, people most often report these in May: Morels, Mulberries, Sumacs, Prickly pear, Wild strawberries, Hazelnuts, Elderberries, Blackberries, raspberries and relatives. This is a list of records, not of anything safe to eat.

Does a record mean it is ripe or edible?

No. A record means someone reported the species that month. It says nothing about ripeness, quantity or edibility, and many have dangerous lookalikes. Confirm every find with a qualified local expert.

Same month, nearby

Oregon in MayArizona in May

California: the whole year · May across the US

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, California, 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
USA-NPN
Nature's Notebook "Ripe fruits" phenophase status records, California, 2009–2025 (one record = one plant in one year, from first to last "yes"). Retrieved 2026-10-20 from the USA National Phenology Network data service, shown as a cross-check where a row has at least 8 records. usanpn.org
Rows
The 11 rows above are the species with at least 10% of their peak-month count, and at least 3 records, in May in California. Common names are the ones foragers use and are not an identification; the scientific name is the source's taxon.

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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