Arizona, like California, benefits from large variations in terrain elevation that allow one to explore very different biomes with only a short drive. Those whose perception of the state has been shaped by Hollywood movies filmed in Old Tucson or Monument Valley are often surprised to discover that large parts of the northern and eastern portions of the state are cool, relatively wet, and heavily forested.
The low-lying desert parts of Arizona provide very little haven for mushrooms. Certain edibles such as morels and torqs can sometimes be found in wet riparian habitats in the spring and fall after rains, but these are typically serendipitous discoveries and not a target of deliberate foraging. Especially in the warmer months, don’t waste your time below 6,000 feet or so of elevation.
Successful fungal collecting in Arizona takes place almost entirely in the higher mountainous areas of the state, in the wet summer monsoon months of July, August, and September. In late April and early May after a wet winter, there may also be some worthwhile morel hunting in the mountains.
From 6,000 to 7,500 feet is where Ponderosa pines predominate, with their complement of Barrows’ boletes, slippery jacks, puffballs, Caesar’s amanitas, and the occasional Agaricus or Russula.
Around 7,000-7,500 feet, aspen and Douglas firs start to be seen, with more of the Agaricus and Russula, oyster mushrooms, lobster mushrooms, aspen boletes, shaggy manes, occasional king boletes, and a wider variety of other mycorrhizal fungi.
By 9,000 feet or so, the firs and spruces dominate the mixed conifer forest. At these higher elevations, the monsoon rainfall tends to be at its heaviest. There is a cornucopia of fungi including king boletes, chanterelles, cauliflower mushrooms, lion’s mane, and hedgehogs, among others. In wet years, these zones can provide some of the best summer foraging in the country.
The map below shows the long-term average rainfall in Arizona during the monsoon months of July through September. The dark blue areas, where the season may produce upwards of twenty inches of rain, are mostly associated with high mountains. However, some of the heavy rains shown on this map fall on lower lying grasslands and scrubland that are not suitable mushroom habitat, notably in the area south of Tucson.
Greer and the Mt. Baldy area, as well as the Mogollon Rim, are the premier sites for foraging in the state. Their flat, expansive, heavily forested terrain is more suitable for foraging than some of the smaller, steeper, more rugged mountain ranges mentioned below. But all of these sites of heavy mountain rains will produce plenty of interesting fungi in a wet summer for those who make the effort to get there.
The chart below will give you a general idea of the seasons in which you can expect to find various types of edible mushrooms. O=occasional/rare/out of season. X=in season, not common. XX=in season, common. XXX=Found profusely in season.
NAME | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | NOTES |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aspen bolete (Leccinum insigne) | X | XXX | XX | With aspen above 7500' | ||||||
Barrows' Bolete (Boletus barrowsii) | XX | XX | X | 6500-9000' w/pines | ||||||
Blusher (Amanita novinupta) | X | XX | X | Occasionally profuse | ||||||
Caesar's Amanita (Amanita "cochiseana") | O | XX | XX | 6000'-9000', with pines | ||||||
Cauliflower Mushroom (Sparassis americana var. arizonica) | XX | XX | X | Above 8000' | ||||||
Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) | X | XX | XX | O | Above 7000', shady areas | |||||
Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) | X | X | X | |||||||
Dryad's Saddle (Polyporus squamosus) | XX | XX | X | X | Among earliest summer fruiters | |||||
Giant puffball (Calvatia spp.) | X | X | X | |||||||
Giant Sawgill (Neolentinus ponderosus) | O | XX | X | O | Early fruiting, only on dead pine | |||||
Hawk-Wing (Sarcodon imbricatus) | XX | XXX | XXX | X | Above 7000' | |||||
Hedgehog Mushroom (Hydnum spp.) | O | X | X | O | Cold tolerant; late season | |||||
Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa) | O | O | O | On hardwood; rare in AZ | ||||||
Honey Mushroom (Armillaria mellea) | X | XXX | XXX | X | O | O | ||||
Inky Cap (Coprinopsis atramentaria) | O | O | X | XX | XX | XX | X | Hardy, long season | ||
Lion's Mane (Hericium spp.) | X | X | X | X | O | Cold tolerant; late season | ||||
Lobster Mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum) | O | XXX | XX | O | O | O | Above 6000', often found in profusion | |||
Meadow/Horse mushrooms (Agaricus spp.) | X | XXX | XX | O | A. bitorquis in desert; many spp. in mtns. | |||||
Milk Caps (Lactarius spp.) | X | XX | XX | X | Above 7000' | |||||
Morel (Morchella spp.) | X | X | O | O | O | O | Mostly fire morels; occasional naturals w/ cottonwoods | |||
Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus spp.) | O | O | XX | XXX | XXX | X | X | O | Mtns in summer, river bottoms in fall/winter | |
Puffball (Lycoperdon spp.) | XX | XXX | XXX | X | ||||||
Rocky Mtn. King Bolete (Boletus rubriceps) | X | XXX | XX | O | Above 7000', esp. w/ fir & spruce | |||||
Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus) | O | O | X | XXX | XXX | X | O | O | Disturbed ground above 7000' | |
Sheep polypore (Albatrellus ovinus) | XX | XX | X | |||||||
Shrimp Russula (Russula xerampelina) | X | XX | X | Above 7500' | ||||||
Slippery Jack (Suillus spp.) | XX | XXX | XXX | X | Above 6000', esp. with pines | |||||
Stalked Puffball (Podaxis pistillaris) | O | O | O | X | XX | XX | XX | O | Found on disturbed sandy desert ground after rains | |
Velvet Foot (Flammulina spp.) | O | O | XX | XXX | XXX | XX | O | On aspens, above 7500' | ||
Wood Ear (Auricularia auricula) | O | O | X | XXX | XXX | X | O | On wood; long season |
i am new to the group — don’t whether this is the right place:
just back to PHX from the white mtns (near MtBaldy). still hardly any mushrooms out. took a few hours to find about 30 (young) king bolete (and about a dozen aspen bolete). will try again in 10 days.
matt
Pingback: The morels are here, along with some other spring edibles | Arizona Mushroom Forum
Great list, is there a printer-friendly version of mushroom seasonal availability on the site? In advance, thanks.
I scrolled to access both sides of the wide table than I pasted it into a spreadsheet and I’m editing it for printing from there.
Follow-up question: For example, this month, July 2015, where can one find in Metropolitan Phoenix supermarkets, the mushrooms that are in season/common–I have not seen most of the mushrooms mentioned.
Also, are cremini and white mushrooms somewhere on the list–didn’t see/maybe they are brought in–when are they in season?
Thanks again.
I am from Cali and am thirsting for a mushroom hunt! Anyone hunting this weekend? 23-25? 😀
This blog is pretty close to defunct these days. If you want to meet Arizona mushroom hunters, check out the Arizona Mushroom Forum group on Facebook.
Things are pretty dry, although a lot of good edibles are still being found over by Greer where they’ve had more rain. Far southern Arizona also has stuff fruiting. Flagstaff and the Mogollon Rim are cracker-dry.