The season
What fruits when — a month-by-month calendar for your region.
The calendar
Mushrooms don't fruit on our schedule. They fruit on rainfall, soil temperature, and the first cold snap. Here's the rhythm we follow in the northern temperate woods.
By month
spring morels, dryad's saddle summer chanterelles, chicken of the woods autumn porcini, lion's mane, maitake winter oysters, enoki, velvet shank
Read the rain
The single best predictor is rain followed by warmth. Two or three days after a good soaking, the forest floor answers. Watch the forecast, then walk.