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Upper Midwest Hardwood Forests Foraging Calendar Southern Minnesota and Wisconsin hardwoods, including the rugged unglaciated Driftless Area. Ramps, morels, wild ginger, pawpaws, and autumn mushrooms thrive in oak-hickory and maple-basswood forest.
124 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
68 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 Nuts Beaked Hazelnut Corylus cornuta easy ▼
peak Berries Black Raspberry Rubus occidentalis easy ▼
peak Wild Greens Broadleaf Plantain Plantago major easy ▼
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 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 Lowbush Blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium expert ▼
peak Wild Greens Marsh Yellow Cress Rorippa palustris easy ▼
peak Berries Mountain Huckleberry Vaccinium membranaceum expert ▼
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 Asparagus Asparagus officinalis 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 Berries Wood Strawberry Fragaria vesca easy ▼
shoulder Nuts American Beech Fagus grandifolia easy ▼
shoulder Nuts American Hazelnut Corylus americana easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Black Mustard Mutarda nigra easy invasive ▼
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 Wild Greens Cattail Typha latifolia moderate ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus easy ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Chicory Cichorium intybus easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Cleavers Galium aparine easy ▼
shoulder Berries Common Blackberry Rubus allegheniensis 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 Wild Greens Day Lily Hemerocallis fulva moderate ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Field Garlic Allium vineale expert invasive ▼
shoulder Berries Hawthorn Crataegus spp. easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Japanese Knotweed Reynoutria japonica easy ⚠ process invasive ▼
shoulder Berries Nannyberry Viburnum lentago moderate ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Ostrich Fern Fiddlehead Matteuccia struthiopteris moderate ⚠ process protected ▼
shoulder Fruits Pawpaw Asimina triloba easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Peppergrass Lepidium virginicum easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Pheasant Back Cerioporus squamosus 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 Wild Greens Sea Rocket Cakile edentula easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Shepherd's Purse Capsella bursa-pastoris easy ▼
shoulder Mushrooms Summer Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius expert ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Virginia Waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Watercress Nasturtium officinale expert ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Wild Onion Allium spp. expert ▼
shoulder Fruits Wild Plum Prunus americana moderate ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Wood Nettle Laportea canadensis easy ⚠ process ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Wood Sorrel Oxalis spp. easy ▼
shoulder Wild Greens Yucca Yucca spp. easy ▼
Monthly alerts
Get a heads-up for Upper Midwest Hardwood 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.
