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Fall Mushroom Foraging: 5 Edibles to Find in September, October, and November

·7 min read·ForagerIQ Team

Quick answer: The five best fall edibles in eastern and central North America are hen of the woods, chicken of the woods, lion's mane, honey mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms. Most of them grow on or at the base of hardwoods, especially oaks, and fruit after soaking rains as temperatures cool. Two toxic lookalikes cause most fall mistakes: the jack-o'-lantern, which gets mistaken for chanterelles and chicken of the woods, and the deadly galerina, which gets mistaken for honey mushrooms.

Spring gets the hype because of morels, but plenty of experienced foragers will tell you fall is the better season. The woods are cooler, the bugs are gone, and the mushrooms are bigger. A single hen of the woods can weigh more than a whole season of morels.

Fall mushrooms also reward a system. Most of the species below grow from wood, often the same tree or log year after year. A spot you log this October is a spot you can check every October from now on.

When Fall Mushroom Season Starts

Fall fruiting is driven by cooling soil plus moisture. The first cool nights of September, followed by a good soaking rain, set off the season across most of the eastern and central US. It runs until hard freezes, often into November.

Timing varies a lot with latitude and elevation, so treat the months below as a guide, not a calendar. Your own past finds are the best predictor of when your spots will produce.

1. Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa)

When: Late summer through fall. The peak is mid-September to early October in southern New England (UMass Extension).

Where: At the base of living oaks, sometimes over the roots a few feet from the trunk.

A gray-brown rosette of overlapping, fan-shaped caps with white pores underneath. Clusters of 10 pounds or more are common. The fungus lives in the oak's roots, so it often returns to the same tree for 5–10 years or more.

Rule out: the black-staining polypore (Meripilus sumstinei), whose surfaces bruise black when handled.

For a full breakdown, see our hen of the woods guide.

2. Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus spp.)

When: Summer and fall (UF/IFAS Extension).

Where: On living or dead hardwoods, especially oak and cherry. It also grows on some conifers.

Bright orange shelves with a sulfur-yellow pore surface. That's L. sulphureus. In the East, look also for L. cincinnatus, which has white to cream pores and often grows as a rosette on the ground near the base of an oak. There are five recognized Laetiporus species in North America.

Cook it thoroughly. UF/IFAS Extension notes that raw or undercooked Laetiporus has been reported to cause gastrointestinal problems, and some people have allergic reactions. Try a small amount the first time.

Rule out: the jack-o'-lantern (see below). It's also orange and grows from wood, but it has true gills, and chicken of the woods has none.

3. Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus)

When: Late summer through fall (Minnesota DNR).

Where: On dead or dying hardwoods, often fallen oak, beech, or maple. Look on logs, stumps, and sometimes wounds in living trees.

A white, shaggy mass of hanging spines up to 2 inches long, like a frozen waterfall. Two close relatives, H. americanum and H. coralloides, have shorter spines arranged on branches. According to the Minnesota DNR, the Hericium species are considered choice edibles with no poisonous lookalikes. Harvest while it's pure white, because quality drops once it starts to yellow.

Pin the log when you find one. Wood-decay fungi often fruit from the same log in later seasons.

4. Honey Mushrooms (Armillaria spp.)

When: August through November (Missouri Department of Conservation).

Where: In dense clusters at the bases of trees, on stumps, and over buried wood, especially oaks.

Honey-colored, sticky caps with small dark hairs toward the center, a whitish ring on the stalk, and a white spore print. Honey mushrooms are abundant in good years. The MDC considers them edible when young and fresh, but they upset some people's stomachs. Cook them thoroughly and try a small amount first.

Rule out (critical): the deadly galerina (Galerina marginata). It also grows in clusters on wood with brown caps and a ring, and according to the UBC Beaty Biodiversity Museum, its amatoxin levels rival those of the death cap. According to the MDC, galerina is smaller, has a smooth cap, and has brown spores. Take a spore print every time. White means honey mushroom; rusty brown means stop.

Also rule out the jack-o'-lantern (bright orange, not honey-colored).

5. Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.)

When: Year-round, with strong flushes in cool, wet fall weather (Missouri Department of Conservation).

Where: In shelf-like clusters on stumps, logs, and trunks of deciduous trees.

White to gray to tan caps, gills running down a short, off-center stalk. The MDC notes there are no poisonous lookalikes in Missouri, which makes oysters one of the friendlier fall finds. In mild years, oysters keep fruiting late into fall, so they're often the last fresh mushroom of the year.

The Two Fall Lookalikes You Must Know

Jack-o'-Lantern (Omphalotus illudens)

The Missouri Department of Conservation lists its season as July through October. It's a bright orange mushroom that grows in clusters from wood or buried wood, often at the base of oaks. That's exactly where you're looking for hens and chickens. It's poisonous and causes stomach upset that can last several days.

How to tell it apart:

  • vs. chanterelles: Jack-o'-lanterns have sharp, true gills and grow in clusters on wood. Chanterelles have blunt, forked ridges and grow singly from the ground.
  • vs. chicken of the woods: Chicken has no gills at all, just a pore surface.

Deadly Galerina (Galerina marginata)

A small brown mushroom with a ring that grows on wood, sometimes right alongside honey mushrooms. It's the most dangerous mushroom on this list. Its toxins attack the liver, and symptoms can be delayed by hours. The rusty brown spore print is the reliable tell (MDC, UBC Beaty Museum). If you can't confirm a white spore print, don't eat it.

If anyone may have eaten a toxic mushroom, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 right away, even before symptoms start. You can also get help at poison.org.

Fall Foraging Safety Checklist

  • Positive ID, every time. Confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager. The CDC recommends that wild mushrooms be evaluated by a trained mycologist before eating.
  • Cook everything. Every species above should be cooked thoroughly.
  • Try a small amount first with any species that's new to you.
  • Avoid roadsides. Mushrooms concentrate heavy metals. One study found hen of the woods growing near a busy highway had the highest cadmium level of 20 species tested.
  • Check the land rules. National Forests generally allow personal-use picking, sometimes with a free permit. National Parks prohibit it unless the superintendent allows it. See our foraging safety guide for details.
  • Wear blaze orange. Fall foraging overlaps with hunting seasons in most states.

Make This Fall Count for Next Fall

Almost everything on this list grows from wood: oaks, logs, stumps. Wood stays put. That makes fall the season where good records pay off most.

For every find, log the exact tree or log, the date, recent rain, and soil temperature. Next September, you won't be wandering the woods hoping. You'll be walking a route of trees that have already proven themselves, checking them in the order they fruited last year.

Sources

Related guides

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