| 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 |
Notes:
- O = occasional/out of season/rare
X = in season, uncommon
XX = in season, common
XXX = in season, profuse - January, February, and March are not included on this chart. There is seldom any mushrooming in these months except in the very lowest desert areas after winter rains. See the species list for December. There may also be rare early morels in lower elevation riparian areas in February or March.
Hi Chris,
We’ve found more of the Barrows’ Bolete in July than August at our elevation.
Also, a couple of years ago the Melgaards found a nice Grifola frondosa (Hen of the Wood) while on the August foray in the Green’s Peak area. I’m not sure how common they are, but it may be worth including on your list.
~L
I’ve made small adjustments to reflect your additions. Thanks, Laurie!
I have collected Sparassis down to about 7200′. Also, amazed (and HAPPY!) to see Grifola from AZ–fantastic species; they are a fall thing in the east (Sept-Oct mostly). I don’t think Grifola has been recorded from AZ in the literature yet, so if anyone gets one, at least part of it should be preserved and deposited with accurate data in the Univ. of Az collection. Another rare but great eating species in the White Mountains that could very easily be mistaken for Grifola is Polyporus umbellatus. It looks kind of like a many-stalked Albatrellus, with grey-tan coloring on the caps. I’ve only seen it once thus far, a couple miles from Hannagans Meadow before the fire.
Lobsters were abundant in October 2014 on Mingus.
GREAT JOB