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Foraging guides

Season, habitat and look-alikes for the wild foods people search for most. Every guide gives the short answer first and names the species it can be confused with.

March to May

Wild garlic foraging: season, habitat and the three lookalikes

When wild garlic grows, where it stands, and how to tell it from lily of the valley and autumn crocus. With the harvest window and the law.

June to November

Chanterelle mushrooms: identification, where they grow, season

How to recognise chanterelle mushrooms, where and when they grow, and which lookalikes get mistaken for them, including the deadly webcap, which can cause kidney failure.

Flowers May to June, berries August to September

Harvesting elderberry: flowers in June, berries in September

Black elder has two harvest windows a year. When they fall, how to recognise the shrub, and why the berries aren’t used raw.

Varies by species

Mushroom season: which mushroom grows when

Season windows for morel, St George’s mushroom, chanterelle, cep, parasol, oyster mushroom and velvet shank, examples of rain, year and region, and the poisonous death cap that fruits in the same months.

March to October

Edible wild plants: the most common species and their season

An overview of the most common wild plants, their harvest windows, and the lookalikes worth knowing.

year round

Identifying wild plants: a method, not a hunch

How to identify a wild plant systematically: which features count, which deceive, and where every app hits its limits.

November to February

Winter foraging: what to look for from November to February

What you can still find in winter: chickweed and bittercress, mushrooms on wood, how to tell Scots pine from poisonous yew, a note on the autumn fruits rose hips and sloes, plus the poisonous species growing in the same places and how to tell them apart.

Late summer to autumn

How long after rain do mushrooms grow?

How long after rain mushrooms appear: from inkcaps that come up overnight to ceps about eight days later, why rain triggers fruiting, how the Forage app estimates the window, and what to do before you pick anything.

Year-round

Mushroom picking in Germany: how much you may pick and where

What German nature conservation law allows when you pick wild mushrooms, what counts as a small quantity, which species are protected, where you may pick and when you need a permit. Based on the legal texts and the German Mycological Society (DGfM).

September to December

When to pick sloes: season, frost and lookalikes

When sloes are ripe, whether you need to wait for the first frost, why some years bring more fruit, how to recognise blackthorn and tell it from buckthorn and cherry plum, and what to do if someone ate the wrong berries.

September to March

Oyster mushroom season: when and where to find them

When oyster mushrooms are in season, from autumn into winter, where they grow on dead hardwood, how to recognise them, and which lookalikes to rule out before you pick.

Year-round

Mushroom picking in Austria: how much you may pick, when and where

What Austria's Forest Act allows when you pick wild mushrooms, why the limit is two kilograms, and the extra rules in Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Lower Austria and Upper Austria. With picking hours, closed seasons and the poison helpline.

Death cap: July to October

Poisonous mushrooms: the deadliest species and their lookalikes

The most dangerous poisonous mushrooms in Central Europe, which mushrooms they are mistaken for, how long symptoms take to start and what to do if someone may have been poisoned.

Varies by species

How to identify mushrooms: a step by step method

How to identify a wild mushroom: collect the whole fruitbody, note the habitat, describe it, make a spore print and use a key. Plus what apps can and cannot do.

Year round

Foraging: a beginner's guide to finding wild food

What foraging is, how beginners can start, which rules apply in England, Wales and Germany, and the poisonous lookalikes to know before you pick.

July to November

Porcini mushrooms: how to recognise them, season and lookalikes

How to recognise porcini (Boletus edulis) by cap, pores and stem, when and where they grow, and how to tell them from the bitter bolete and other lookalikes.

September to November

Lion's mane mushroom: how to recognise it, where it grows, season

How to recognise lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) by its single clump of hanging spines, where and when it grows, which relatives look similar, and the rules on picking it.

Autumn

Acorns: how to tell oak acorns apart, when they ripen and what mast years are

How to recognise the acorns of English, sessile, Turkey, red, bur and California black oak, how to tell when an acorn is ripe, what mast years are, and what the law says about picking them.

Autumn to early winter

Chestnuts: sweet chestnut vs horse chestnut, season and where they grow

How to tell sweet chestnuts from horse chestnuts by leaf, husk and nut, when they fall, where the trees grow, and what to do if someone eats a horse chestnut.

Tools and background

What’s ripe near you?

Forage shows you the species in your region and pings you when the season starts.

Safety note

All information without guarantee. This text is orientation on season and habitat, not an identification guide, and it makes no claim about whether any specific plant or mushroom is edible. Many species have toxic, some deadly, lookalikes. Never eat or use anything that has not been identified with certainty by an expert, such as a qualified mushroom inspector. We accept no liability for any harm arising from the use of this information. If you suspect poisoning, call your local poison control center or emergency services right away. Mind conservation law and property rights.