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United States · October

What foragers look for in October

19 of the 29 mushrooms, fruits and nuts on this calendar have US records in October. Records differ a lot by state, so each row lists the states where October 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. Giant puffballCalvatia gigantea
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=7,043 US records · listed for October in 19 states: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and 7 more
  2. Hen of the woods (maitake)Grifola frondosa
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=11,696 US records · listed for October in 25 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and 13 more
  3. King boleteBoletus edulis
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=6,634 US records · listed for October in 14 states: Alaska, California, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and 2 more
  4. Lion's mane and other HericiumHericium spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's US peak · n=21,090 US records · listed for October in 39 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and 27 more
  5. Wild roses (hips)Rosa spp.
    Records tailing off
    89% of this row's US peak · n=12,644 US records · listed for October in 33 states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland and 21 more
  6. ChagaInonotus obliquus
    Records tailing off
    86% of this row's US peak · n=3,049 US records · listed for October in 13 states: Alaska, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and 1 more
  7. American persimmonDiospyros virginiana
    Records tailing off
    83% of this row's US peak · n=7,992 US records · listed for October in 23 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi and 11 more
  8. Hedgehog mushroomsHydnum spp.
    Records tailing off
    77% of this row's US peak · n=1,558 US records · listed for October in 7 states: Indiana, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington
  9. Hickories and pecanCarya spp.
    Records tailing off
    72% of this row's US peak · n=1,595 US records · listed for October in 15 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and 3 more
  10. Black walnutJuglans nigra
    Records tailing off
    72% of this row's US peak · n=2,642 US records · listed for October in 21 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey and 9 more
  11. Prickly pearOpuntia spp.
    Records tailing off
    69% of this row's US peak · n=4,369 US records · listed for October in 8 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Utah
  12. Chicken of the woodsLaetiporus spp.
    Records tailing off
    64% of this row's US peak · n=58,827 US records · listed for October in 39 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and 27 more
  13. SumacsRhus spp.
    Records tailing off
    55% of this row's US peak · n=22,449 US records · listed for October in 41 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and 29 more
  14. ChanterellesCantharellus spp.
    Records tailing off
    41% of this row's US peak · n=23,592 US records · listed for October in 19 states: Alabama, Alaska, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina and 7 more
  15. Black trumpets and other CraterellusCraterellus spp.
    Records tailing off
    37% of this row's US peak · n=12,653 US records · listed for October in 29 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and 17 more
  16. Oyster mushroomsPleurotus spp.
    Records tailing off
    36% of this row's US peak · n=40,734 US records · listed for October in 38 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana and 26 more
  17. Blueberries, huckleberries and relativesVaccinium spp.
    Records tailing off
    21% of this row's US peak · n=11,635 US records · listed for October in 24 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey and 12 more
  18. Wild grapesVitis spp.
    Records tailing off
    13% of this row's US peak · n=3,506 US records · listed for October in 7 states: California, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin
  19. ElderberriesSambucus spp.
    Records tailing off
    12% of this row's US peak · n=15,365 US records · listed for October in 9 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Oregon, Texas, Utah, 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 October?

This page cannot tell you what is safe to forage. It shows what people across the US record in October: Giant puffball, Hen of the woods (maitake), King bolete, Lion's mane and other Hericium, Wild roses (hips), Chaga, American persimmon, Hedgehog mushrooms. Check your own state's page, and confirm every find with a qualified local expert.

Is October a good month for mushrooms?

10 of the 11 mushroom groups on this calendar have US records in October. 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 October 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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