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Central Great Plains Foraging Calendar Mixed-grass prairies and corn belt transitional lands of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. Morel mushrooms flush in cottonwood river bottoms; sand hills support wild asparagus, rose hips, and chokecherries.
136 edible species recorded here
Peak and shoulder ratings are rough guidance, not a schedule. Microclimate, elevation, and the year's weather can shift any species by weeks.
These pages are educational reference only. Never use them as your sole basis for deciding whether something is safe to eat. Always cross-reference a field guide, take a class, or go out with an experienced forager before harvesting anything.
Hi, I'm Nick. I built Forage Calendar on my own and I keep it free, with no ads. If it has helped you find something good this season, a small tip goes straight into the hosting and the data work. Only if you can spare it. Either way, I'm glad you're here.
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All Categories Mushrooms Wild Greens Berries Fruits Nuts Invasives
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
97 species at peak or shoulder in August
peak Berries American Elderberry Sambucus canadensis expert ⚠ process ▼
peak Nuts American Hazelnut Corylus americana easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia moderate ▼
peak Nuts Beaked Hazelnut Corylus cornuta easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Black Mustard Mutarda nigra easy invasive ▼
peak Nuts Black Walnut Juglans nigra easy ⚠ process ▼
peak Wild Greens Broadleaf Plantain Plantago major easy ▼
peak Nuts Butternut / White Walnut Juglans cinerea easy ⚠ process protected ▼
peak Wild Greens Cattail Typha latifolia moderate ▼
peak Mushrooms Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus easy ⚠ process ▼
peak Wild Greens Chicory Cichorium intybus easy ▼
peak Berries Common Blackberry Rubus allegheniensis easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Common Burdock Arctium minus easy ▼
peak Berries Common Groundcherry Physalis heterophylla expert ⚠ process ▼
peak Berries Common Hackberry Celtis occidentalis easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Common Purslane Portulaca oleracea moderate ▼
peak Mushrooms Eastern Cauliflower Mushroom Sparassis spathulata easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Fireweed Chamaenerion angustifolium easy ▼
peak Mushrooms Giant Polypore Meripilus sumstinei easy ▼
peak Nuts Hickory Carya spp. easy ▼
peak Mushrooms Horn of Plenty Craterellus fallax easy ▼
peak Mushrooms Indigo Milk Cap Lactarius indigo easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Japanese Knotweed Reynoutria japonica easy ⚠ process invasive ▼
peak Mushrooms King Bolete Boletus edulis moderate ▼
peak Wild Greens Kudzu Pueraria montana easy invasive ▼
peak Wild Greens Lamb's Quarters Chenopodium album easy ▼
peak Berries Lingonberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea expert ▼
peak Mushrooms Lobster Mushroom Hypomyces lactifluorum moderate ▼
peak Berries Lowbush Blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium expert ▼
peak Berries Maypop / Wild Passion Fruit Passiflora incarnata easy ▼
peak Berries Muscadine Vitis rotundifolia expert ▼
peak Berries Nannyberry Viburnum lentago moderate ▼
peak Wild Greens Nodding Onion Allium cernuum expert ▼
peak Fruits Pawpaw Asimina triloba easy ▼
peak Nuts Pecan Carya illinoinensis easy ▼
peak Berries Pin Cherry Prunus pensylvanica moderate ⚠ process ▼
peak Wild Greens Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Prickly Pear Opuntia spp. easy ⚠ process ▼
peak Wild Greens Prostrate Knotweed Polygonum aviculare easy ▼
peak Mushrooms Red Chanterelle Cantharellus cinnabarinus easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Redroot Amaranth Amaranthus retroflexus easy ▼
peak Berries Riverbank Grape Vitis riparia expert ▼
peak Mushrooms Russula Russula spp. moderate ▼
peak Mushrooms Slippery Jack Suillus spp. easy ▼
peak Berries Small Cranberry Vaccinium oxycoccos expert ▼
peak Mushrooms Smooth Chanterelle Cantharellus lateritius easy ▼
peak Fruits Smooth Sumac Rhus glabra easy ▼
peak Fruits Staghorn Sumac Rhus typhina easy ▼
peak Mushrooms Summer Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius expert ▼
peak Fruits Texas Persimmon Diospyros texana easy ▼
peak Berries Thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Thistle Cirsium spp. easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Wild Asparagus Asparagus officinalis easy invasive ▼
peak Fruits Wild Crab Apple Malus spp. easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Wild Mint Mentha spp. easy ▼
peak Fruits Wild Plum Prunus americana moderate ▼
peak Nuts Wild Rice Zizania palustris easy ⚠ process protected ▼
peak Wild Greens Wood Nettle Laportea canadensis easy ⚠ process ▼
peak Mushrooms Yellowfoot Chanterelle Craterellus tubaeformis easy ▼
shoulder Berries American Beautyberry Callicarpa americana easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens American Brooklime Veronica americana easy ▼
shoulder Berries American Cranberry Vaccinium macrocarpon expert ▼
shoulder Berries American Mountain Ash Sorbus americana moderate ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Fruits American Persimmon Diospyros virginiana easy ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Bear's Head Tooth Hericium americanum easy ▼
shoulder Berries Chokecherry Prunus virginiana moderate ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Cinnamon Fern Fiddlehead Osmundastrum cinnamomeum moderate ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Clover Trifolium spp. easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Common Mallow Malva neglecta easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Coral Tooth Mushroom Hericium coralloides easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Curly Dock Rumex crispus easy invasive ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Day Lily Hemerocallis fulva moderate ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens False Solomon's Seal Maianthemum racemosum expert ▼
shoulder Fruits Feral Apple Malus domestica easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Giant Puffball Calvatia gigantea expert ▼
shoulder Berries Golden Currant Ribes aureum easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Greenbrier Smilax spp. easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Ground Elder Aegopodium podagraria expert invasive ▼
shoulder Berries Hawthorn Crataegus spp. easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Hen of the Woods Grifola frondosa easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Marsh Yellow Cress Rorippa palustris easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Meadow Mushroom Agaricus campestris expert ▼
shoulder Fruits Mesquite Pods Neltuma spp. easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Narrowleaf Plantain Plantago lanceolata easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Ostrich Fern Fiddlehead Matteuccia struthiopteris moderate ⚠ process protected ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Pheasant Back Cerioporus squamosus easy ▼
shoulder Nuts Pine Seeds Pinus spp. easy ▼
shoulder Nuts Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Sheep Sorrel Rumex acetosella easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Spicebush Lindera benzoin easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Wild Onion Allium spp. expert ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Wild Rose Rosa spp. easy ▼
shoulder Nuts Wild Sunflower Helianthus annuus easy ▼
shoulder Berries Wintergreen / Teaberry Gaultheria procumbens expert ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Wood Ear Auricularia americana easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Yucca Yucca spp. easy ▼
Monthly alerts
Get a heads-up for Central Great Plains On the first of each month we will email you what is coming into season in this ecoregion, plus what is about to go out of season. Optionally add species to a watch list and we will highlight them at the top of every email.