← Back to map Ecoregion
Northern Lakes and Forests Foraging Calendar Boreal and northern hardwood forest of northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Premier foraging territory: morels, chanterelles, chicken of the woods, wild blueberries, cranberries, and fiddlehead ferns.
125 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.
Month View Calendar View
All Categories Mushrooms Wild Greens Berries Fruits Nuts Invasives
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
73 species at peak or shoulder in June
peak Berries American Black Currant Ribes americanum easy ▼
peak Wild Greens American Brooklime Veronica americana easy ▼
peak Mushrooms Aspen Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus populinus expert ▼
peak Berries Black Raspberry Rubus occidentalis easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Broadleaf Dock Rumex obtusifolius easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Broadleaf Plantain Plantago major easy ▼
peak Nuts Butternut / White Walnut Juglans cinerea easy ⚠ process protected ▼
peak Mushrooms Chicken of the Woods (root-growing) Laetiporus cincinnatus easy ⚠ process ▼
peak Wild Greens Cinnamon Fern Fiddlehead Osmundastrum cinnamomeum moderate ⚠ process ▼
peak Wild Greens Clover Trifolium spp. easy ▼
peak Berries Common Blackberry Rubus allegheniensis easy ▼
peak Berries Common Hackberry Celtis occidentalis easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Cow Parsnip Heracleum maximum expert ⚠ process ▼
peak Wild Greens Curly Dock Rumex crispus easy invasive ▼
peak Wild Greens False Solomon's Seal Maianthemum racemosum expert ▼
peak Wild Greens Greenbrier Smilax spp. easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Ground Elder Aegopodium podagraria expert invasive ▼
peak Wild Greens Lamb's Quarters Chenopodium album easy ▼
peak Berries Mountain Huckleberry Vaccinium membranaceum expert ▼
peak Berries Nagoonberry Rubus arcticus easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Narrowleaf Plantain Plantago lanceolata easy ▼
peak Mushrooms Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus expert ▼
peak Wild Greens Prickly Pear Opuntia spp. easy ⚠ process ▼
peak Berries Riverbank Grape Vitis riparia expert ▼
peak Wild Greens Sheep Sorrel Rumex acetosella easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Thistle Cirsium spp. easy ▼
peak Berries White Mulberry Morus alba easy invasive ▼
peak Wild Greens Wild Chives Allium schoenoprasum expert ▼
peak Wild Greens Wild Garlic Allium canadense expert ▼
peak Wild Greens Wild Rose Rosa spp. easy ▼
peak Berries Wild Strawberry Fragaria virginiana easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Wood Sorrel Oxalis spp. easy ▼
peak Berries Wood Strawberry Fragaria vesca easy ▼
shoulder Nuts American Beech Fagus grandifolia easy ▼
shoulder Nuts American Hazelnut Corylus americana easy ▼
shoulder Nuts Beaked Hazelnut Corylus cornuta easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Black Mustard Mutarda nigra easy invasive ▼
shoulder Nuts Black Walnut Juglans nigra easy ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Berries Bog Bilberry Vaccinium uliginosum expert ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Cattail Typha latifolia moderate ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus easy ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Cleavers Galium aparine easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Common Chickweed Stellaria media easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Common Mallow Malva neglecta easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Common Purslane Portulaca oleracea moderate ▼
shoulder Berries Crowberry Empetrum nigrum expert ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Dandelion Taraxacum officinale easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Day Lily Hemerocallis fulva moderate ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Garlic Mustard Alliaria petiolata easy invasive ▼
shoulder Berries Hawthorn Crataegus spp. easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Japanese Knotweed Reynoutria japonica easy ⚠ process invasive ▼
shoulder Berries Lowbush Blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium expert ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Marsh Yellow Cress Rorippa palustris easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Ostrich Fern Fiddlehead Matteuccia struthiopteris moderate ⚠ process protected ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Pheasant Back Cerioporus squamosus easy ▼
shoulder Berries Pin Cherry Prunus pensylvanica moderate ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Nuts Pine Seeds Pinus spp. easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Prostrate Knotweed Polygonum aviculare easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Redroot Amaranth Amaranthus retroflexus easy ▼
shoulder Berries Saskatoon / Western Serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia moderate ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Sea Rocket Cakile edentula easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Shepherd's Purse Capsella bursa-pastoris easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Spicebush Lindera benzoin easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Summer Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius expert ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Violet Leaves Viola spp. easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Virginia Waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Watercress Nasturtium officinale expert ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Wild Asparagus Asparagus officinalis easy invasive ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Wild Onion Allium spp. expert ▼
shoulder Fruits Wild Plum Prunus americana moderate ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Winter Cress Barbarea vulgaris easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Wood Nettle Laportea canadensis easy ⚠ process ▼
Monthly alerts
Get a heads-up for Northern Lakes and Forests 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.
