Seasons and habitat

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi that live hidden in soil, wood and other material for most of their lives. Fruiting depends on weather, so exact timing changes from year to year.

What drives fruiting

• Moisture. Many mushrooms appear after rain. A dry spell can pause fruiting for weeks.
• Temperature. Different species fruit in different temperature ranges, which is why spring, summer and fall each have their own mushrooms.
• Host and substrate. Some fungi live in partnership with specific trees. Others break down dead wood, leaf litter or soil. If you find the right tree or substrate, you find the right habitat.
• Disturbance. Some fungi are known to fruit after events like fires, but results vary widely by place.

Using season charts

Each species page on this site shows a month-by-month chart built from open-licensed sighting records in the United States and Canada. The chart shows when people have reported a species, which is a rough guide to when to look. It does not tell you what is fruiting today, and records are influenced by where and when people go looking. Use it to plan, then go and see.

Reading the landscape

Notice the trees around you. Notice slope, moisture, soil, and whether the area has been disturbed. Keep notes. After a few seasons you will see patterns in your own area that no general guide can give you.

Regional differences

The same species can fruit at different times in different regions, and a species common in one state may be rare in another. Use the region filter in our species guide to see what has been recorded near you, and talk to local groups. See Lesson 8.