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United States · May

What foragers look for in May

19 of the 29 mushrooms, fruits and nuts on this calendar have US records in May. Records differ a lot by state, so each row lists the states where May 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. MulberriesMorus spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=1,834 US records · listed for May in 13 states: Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and 1 more
  2. Oyster mushroomsPleurotus spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=40,734 US records · listed for May in 35 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and 23 more
  3. ChagaInonotus obliquus
    Records rising
    88% of this row's US peak · n=3,049 US records · listed for May in 13 states: Alaska, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and 1 more
  4. MorelsMorchella spp.
    Records tailing off
    77% of this row's US peak · n=17,729 US records · listed for May in 25 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and 13 more
  5. Prickly pearOpuntia spp.
    Records rising
    75% of this row's US peak · n=4,369 US records · listed for May in 4 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Texas
  6. Serviceberries (juneberries)Amelanchier spp.
    Records rising
    41% of this row's US peak · n=1,558 US records · listed for May in 9 states: California, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington
  7. Wild strawberriesFragaria spp.
    Records rising
    36% of this row's US peak · n=1,400 US records · listed for May in 8 states: California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington
  8. Wild grapesVitis spp.
    Records rising
    34% of this row's US peak · n=3,506 US records · listed for May in 8 states: California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin
  9. Black cherryPrunus serotina
    Records rising
    29% of this row's US peak · n=2,275 US records · listed for May in 15 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina and 3 more
  10. Blackberries, raspberries and relativesRubus spp.
    Records rising
    29% of this row's US peak · n=19,447 US records · listed for May in 19 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and 7 more
  11. SumacsRhus spp.
    Records rising
    25% of this row's US peak · n=22,449 US records · listed for May in 24 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri and 12 more
  12. PawpawAsimina triloba
    Records rising
    23% of this row's US peak · n=6,255 US records · listed for May in 14 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and 2 more
  13. ElderberriesSambucus spp.
    Records rising
    22% of this row's US peak · n=15,365 US records · listed for May in 19 states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and 7 more
  14. Chicken of the woodsLaetiporus spp.
    Records rising
    20% of this row's US peak · n=58,827 US records · listed for May in 30 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and 18 more
  15. Blueberries, huckleberries and relativesVaccinium spp.
    Records rising
    18% of this row's US peak · n=11,635 US records · listed for May in 18 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and 6 more
  16. Wild roses (hips)Rosa spp.
    Records rising
    13% of this row's US peak · n=12,644 US records · listed for May in 12 states: California, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
  17. HazelnutsCorylus spp.
    Records rising
    12% of this row's US peak · n=1,896 US records · listed for May in 3 states: California, Oregon, Washington
  18. Hickories and pecanCarya spp.
    Records rising
    12% of this row's US peak · n=1,595 US records · listed for May in 4 states: Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Texas
  19. Black trumpets and other CraterellusCraterellus spp.
    Records rising
    10% of this row's US peak · n=12,653 US records · listed for May in 10 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, 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 May?

This page cannot tell you what is safe to forage. It shows what people across the US record in May: Mulberries, Oyster mushrooms, Chaga, Morels, Prickly pear, Serviceberries (juneberries), Wild strawberries, Wild grapes. Check your own state's page, and confirm every find with a qualified local expert.

Is May a good month for mushrooms?

5 of the 11 mushroom groups on this calendar have US records in May. 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 May 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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