← Back to map Ecoregion
Southern Appalachians Foraging Calendar Foothills and ridges of northern Alabama, northwest Georgia, and southeast Tennessee at the southwestern end of the Appalachian chain. Rich hardwood forests with pawpaws, persimmons, black walnuts, and a long fall mushroom season.
93 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.
Hand picked by Nick. No generic ads, ever. Just partners I personally use and believe in. This site stays completely free. Affiliate links may earn me a small commission at no cost to you.
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
65 species at peak or shoulder in June
peak Nuts American Beech Fagus grandifolia easy ▼
peak Berries American Elderberry Sambucus canadensis expert ⚠ process ▼
peak Wild Greens Arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia moderate ▼
peak Berries Black Raspberry Rubus occidentalis easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Broadleaf Plantain Plantago major easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Cattail Typha latifolia moderate ▼
peak Mushrooms Chicken of the Woods (root-growing) Laetiporus cincinnatus easy ⚠ process ▼
peak Wild Greens Chicory Cichorium intybus easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Common Purslane Portulaca oleracea moderate ▼
peak Wild Greens Curly Dock Rumex crispus easy invasive ▼
peak Wild Greens Day Lily Hemerocallis fulva moderate ⚠ process ▼
peak Wild Greens Field Garlic Allium vineale expert invasive ▼
peak Mushrooms Giant Polypore Meripilus sumstinei easy ▼
peak Berries Hawthorn Crataegus spp. easy ▼
peak Mushrooms Horn of Plenty Craterellus fallax easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Japanese Knotweed Reynoutria japonica easy ⚠ process invasive ▼
peak Wild Greens Kudzu Pueraria montana easy invasive ▼
peak Wild Greens Lamb's Quarters Chenopodium album easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Narrowleaf Plantain Plantago lanceolata easy ▼
peak Fruits Pawpaw Asimina triloba easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Peppergrass Lepidium virginicum easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Prickly Pear Opuntia spp. easy ⚠ process ▼
peak Mushrooms Red Chanterelle Cantharellus cinnabarinus easy ▼
peak Berries Red Mulberry Morus rubra easy ▼
peak Mushrooms Russula Russula spp. moderate ▼
peak Mushrooms Smooth Chanterelle Cantharellus lateritius easy ▼
peak Fruits Smooth Sumac Rhus glabra easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Wild Onion Allium spp. expert ▼
peak Wild Greens Wild Rose Rosa spp. easy ▼
peak Nuts Wild Sunflower Helianthus annuus easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Wood Nettle Laportea canadensis easy ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Nuts Allegheny Chinquapin Castanea pumila moderate ▼
shoulder Nuts American Chestnut Castanea dentata moderate ▼
shoulder Nuts American Hazelnut Corylus americana easy ▼
shoulder Fruits American Persimmon Diospyros virginiana easy ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Nuts Black Walnut Juglans nigra easy ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Broadleaf Dock Rumex obtusifolius easy ▼
shoulder Nuts Butternut / White Walnut Juglans cinerea easy ⚠ process protected ▼
shoulder Fruits Chickasaw Plum Prunus angustifolia moderate ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus easy ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Cinnamon Fern Fiddlehead Osmundastrum cinnamomeum moderate ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Clover Trifolium spp. easy ▼
shoulder Berries Common Hackberry Celtis occidentalis easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Common Puffball Lycoperdon perlatum expert ▼
shoulder Berries Dewberry Rubus flagellaris easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens False Solomon's Seal Maianthemum racemosum expert ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Greenbrier Smilax spp. easy ▼
shoulder Nuts Hickory Carya spp. easy ▼
shoulder Berries Himalayan Blackberry Rubus armeniacus easy invasive ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Indigo Milk Cap Lactarius indigo easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Lobster Mushroom Hypomyces lactifluorum moderate ▼
shoulder Nuts Pecan Carya illinoinensis easy ▼
shoulder Nuts Pine Seeds Pinus spp. easy ▼
shoulder Nuts Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Slippery Jack Suillus spp. easy ▼
shoulder Fruits Staghorn Sumac Rhus typhina easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Summer Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius expert ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Thistle Cirsium spp. easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Watercress Nasturtium officinale expert ▼
shoulder Berries White Mulberry Morus alba easy invasive ▼
shoulder Berries Wild Strawberry Fragaria virginiana easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Wood Ear Auricularia americana easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Yucca Yucca spp. easy ▼
Monthly alerts
Get a heads-up for Southern Appalachians 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.
