Massachusetts Mushroom Guide

Our Massachusetts mushroom guide helps you understand how to get started or improve your skills in mushroom hunting in Massachusetts.

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Massachusetts Mushroom Guide: Edible Mushrooms In Massachusetts

In this guide, we invite you to explore the main edible mushrooms. Here is a non-exhaustive list of mushrooms you might find in Massachusetts:

• Lobster Mushroom (Hypomyces Lactifluorum) – They can be found in woods and forests, most likely under hemlock trees in September or October.
• Wine Caps (Stropharia Rugosoannulata) – Found in Massachusetts around May and September.
• Chicken Of The Woods (Polyporus Sulphureus) – Most abundant in September and October, but can be found as early as May through the summer.
• Chanterelles (Cantharellus) – Easy to find between June and November.
• Black Trumpet (Craterellus Cornucopioides) – In season from July to September.
• Velvet Foot (Flammulina Velutipes) – Appears in deciduous and mixed forests and woodlands in the late fall.
• Bear’s Head Tooth (Hericium Americanum) – Grows vertically on the bark of deciduous hardwood trees during the late summer and fall.
• Reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum) – Hemlock reishi fruits on dead hemlock between May and July, while hardwood reishi grows between September and October.
• Maitake or Hen Of The Woods (Grifola Frondosa) – Fruits between the end of August and the beginning of October.

Discover the best mushroom spots in Massachusetts directly with our Mushroom Maps.

Massachusetts Mushroom Guide: How To Hunt For Mushrooms

1. First, you need to have a thorough understanding of the growth conditions of the mushroom you’re seeking. Each mushroom, such as morel or chanterelle, requires specific soil type, acidity, host trees, altitude, aspect…
2. Next, you need to have a comprehensive knowledge of Massachusetts: its forests, soils, and topography (altitude, aspect, slope).
3. Finally, once you know which mushroom you’re searching for, you just need to identify the right conditions in the right place in Massachusetts.

In this guide, it’s challenging to delve into the details of each parameter as it would require writing a complete book on the subject. It would be very tedious for you to read and apply all the concepts covered. This is why the next section might interest you:

Our Maps Will Guide You To The Mushrooms

Are you looking for a real interactive guide to know where to find the best edible mushrooms in Massachusetts, and you want to know the best time to go searching for each mushroom? Discover our mushroom maps!

Our maps allow you to know where, when, and how to find edible mushrooms (morels, chanterelles, lion’s mane, and more) and provide you with all the details to understand why these are the best spots (soil, trees, topography, and more).

Embark on an adventure with our maps!