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United States · January

What foragers look for in January

11 of the 29 mushrooms, fruits and nuts on this calendar have US records in January. Records differ a lot by state, so each row lists the states where January 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. Hedgehog mushroomsHydnum spp.
    Records rising
    72% of this row's US peak · n=1,558 US records · listed for January in 4 states: California, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington
  2. Black trumpets and other CraterellusCraterellus spp.
    Records rising
    38% of this row's US peak · n=12,653 US records · listed for January in 3 states: California, Oregon, Washington
  3. Oyster mushroomsPleurotus spp.
    Records rising
    33% of this row's US peak · n=40,734 US records · listed for January in 28 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland and 16 more
  4. Wild roses (hips)Rosa spp.
    Records rising
    28% of this row's US peak · n=12,644 US records · listed for January in 24 states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire and 12 more
  5. Lion's mane and other HericiumHericium spp.
    Records rising
    28% of this row's US peak · n=21,090 US records · listed for January in 11 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas
  6. Prickly pearOpuntia spp.
    Records rising
    27% of this row's US peak · n=4,369 US records · listed for January in 2 states: California, Florida
  7. ChagaInonotus obliquus
    Records rising
    22% of this row's US peak · n=3,049 US records · listed for January in 7 states: Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont
  8. ChanterellesCantharellus spp.
    Records rising
    17% of this row's US peak · n=23,592 US records · listed for January in 2 states: California, Washington
  9. SumacsRhus spp.
    Records rising
    16% of this row's US peak · n=22,449 US records · listed for January in 19 states: California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and 7 more
  10. King boleteBoletus edulis
    Records rising
    13% of this row's US peak · n=6,634 US records · listed for January in 1 state: California
  11. Hickories and pecanCarya spp.
    Records rising
    11% of this row's US peak · n=1,595 US records · listed for January in 2 states: Georgia, Texas

"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 January?

This page cannot tell you what is safe to forage. It shows what people across the US record in January: Hedgehog mushrooms, Black trumpets and other Craterellus, Oyster mushrooms, Wild roses (hips), Lion's mane and other Hericium, Prickly pear, Chaga, Chanterelles. Check your own state's page, and confirm every find with a qualified local expert.

Is January a good month for mushrooms?

7 of the 11 mushroom groups on this calendar have US records in January. 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 January 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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