State foraging calendar
Ohio Foraging Calendar
Ohio's foraging reflects its position between the Appalachian foothills of the east and the Midwestern agricultural plains of the west, with the Wayne National Forest and the unglaciated hill country of southeastern Ohio offering the richest habitat. Morel hunting is a major spring tradition in Ohio, with the Lake Erie shore counties and the Hocking Hills particularly productive, and hen of the woods and chicken of the woods are found throughout the state's mature hardwood stands in fall. The state's long agricultural history has created a patchwork of farm woodlots, river corridors, and forest remnants that support pawpaws, black walnuts, elderberries, and wild plums across the landscape. Ohio's strong immigrant communities from Italy, Eastern Europe, and Appalachia all brought mushroom and wild plant traditions that remain active.
5 bioregions across Ohio
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Tap a region to see what's in season
Bioregions of Ohio
Foraging seasons shift sharply between Ohio's ecoregions. Pick the one nearest you for a 12-month calendar of what is in season.
Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands
180 speciesNorthern Ohio's Lake Erie plain, with morels in bottomland hardwoods, ramps in cool ravines, and butternuts, black walnuts, and rich autumn mushrooms in the maple-beech forest.
View calendar →Northern and Central Appalachians
172 speciesThe Wayne National Forest and Hocking Hills country of southeastern Ohio with ramps in the hemlock-hardwood ravines, morels in the river bottoms, and a full Appalachian autumn mushroom season.
View calendar →Interior Low Plateaus
168 speciesSouthern Ohio's unglaciated hill country, with excellent ramp habitat, pawpaws, spicebush berries, black walnuts, and rich autumn mushrooms.
View calendar →Corn Belt Midwest
165 speciesOhio's central and western agricultural plains with morels in river-bottom hardwoods, elderberries and pawpaws in surviving bottomland forest, and black walnuts throughout the farm woodlot landscape.
View calendar →Great Lakes Shore
153 speciesNorthern Ohio's Lake Erie shoreline and beach-ridge country with morels in the lake-plain hardwood stands, beach plums and elderberries in the sand ridge habitat, and a lake-moderated growing season extending late into fall.
View calendar →Always confirm any wild edible with multiple sources and an experienced local guide before eating it. Many edible species have toxic look-alikes.