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Mushrooms in Iowa
Updated October 2026 · from open GBIF records
4,713mushroom records
7county pages
Octbusiest month
4,713 records since 1833 (1,950 in the last 10 years)
Fruiting now
Based on past sightings (mostly since 2011; all years where recent records are few), not a forecast. Weather and place matter a lot, and a listing here says nothing about whether a mushroom is safe.
Too few past records in January in this state to list species.
Usually recorded in February in this state:
Turkeytail Trametes versicolor7 February records since 2011
Crowded Parchment Stereum complicatum5 February records since 2011
Usually recorded in March in this state:
Ceramic Parchment Xylobolus frustulatus8 March records across all years
Red Tree Brain Fungus Peniophora rufa6 March records across all years- Turkeytail Trametes versicolor6 March records across all years
Usually recorded in April in this state:
Dryad's Saddle Cerioporus squamosus15 April records across all years- Exidiopsis molybdea13 April records across all years
Tulasnella violea8 April records across all years- Turkeytail Trametes versicolor6 April records across all years
- Ceramic Parchment Xylobolus frustulatus5 April records across all years
Fluted Bird's Nest Cyathus striatus5 April records across all years
Usually recorded in May in this state:
Golden Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus citrinopileatus50 May records since 2011- Dryad's Saddle Cerioporus squamosus36 May records since 2011
Crown-Tipped Coral Artomyces pyxidatus6 May records since 2011
Common Porecrust, Split Gill Fungus Schizophyllum commune5 May records since 2011
Glistening Ink-Cap Coprinellus micaceus5 May records since 2011
Usually recorded in June in this state:
- Golden Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus citrinopileatus32 June records since 2011
- Crown-Tipped Coral Artomyces pyxidatus11 June records since 2011
Protohydnum album10 June records since 2011
Chicken Of The Woods Laetiporus sulphureus8 June records since 2011
Webcaps Cortinarius distans6 June records since 2011- Dryad's Saddle Cerioporus squamosus6 June records since 2011
Coprinellus radians5 June records since 2011
Usually recorded in July in this state:
- Golden Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus citrinopileatus22 July records since 2011
False Turkeytail Stereum lobatum7 July records since 2011
Yellowing Curtain Crust Stereum subtomentosum7 July records since 2011
White Coral Jelly Fungus Sebacina sparassoidea6 July records since 2011- Protohydnum album6 July records since 2011
Bradley Lactifluus volemus5 July records since 2011- Chicken Of The Woods Laetiporus sulphureus5 July records since 2011
Fragrant Black Trumpet Craterellus foetidus5 July records since 2011
Usually recorded in August in this state:
- Chicken Of The Woods Laetiporus sulphureus13 August records since 2011
- Golden Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus citrinopileatus8 August records since 2011
Bleeding Oak Crust Stereum gausapatum7 August records since 2011- Turkeytail Trametes versicolor7 August records since 2011
Byssomerulius incarnatus6 August records since 2011- False Turkeytail Stereum lobatum6 August records since 2011
Purple-And-White Deceiver Laccaria ochropurpurea5 August records since 2011
Common Puffball Lycoperdon perlatum5 August records since 2011
Usually recorded in September in this state:
- Golden Oyster Mushroom Pleurotus citrinopileatus16 September records since 2011
- Dryad's Saddle Cerioporus squamosus12 September records since 2011
Late Fall Polypore Ischnoderma resinosum10 September records since 2011- Chicken Of The Woods Laetiporus sulphureus10 September records since 2011
Giant Puffball Calvatia gigantea10 September records since 2011- Turkeytail Trametes versicolor10 September records since 2011
Pear-Shaped Puffball Apioperdon pyriforme7 September records since 2011
Hen Of The Woods Grifola frondosa7 September records since 2011
Usually recorded in October in this state:
- Dryad's Saddle Cerioporus squamosus18 October records since 2011
- Turkeytail Trametes versicolor17 October records since 2011
- Hen Of The Woods Grifola frondosa16 October records since 2011
- Pear-Shaped Puffball Apioperdon pyriforme13 October records since 2011
- Late Fall Polypore Ischnoderma resinosum11 October records since 2011
- Giant Puffball Calvatia gigantea10 October records since 2011
Jelly Rot Phlebia tremellosa9 October records since 2011
Deadly Galerina Galerina marginata9 October records since 2011
Usually recorded in November in this state:
- Turkeytail Trametes versicolor9 November records since 2011
Lumpy Bracket Trametes gibbosa6 November records since 2011- Crowded Parchment Stereum complicatum5 November records since 2011
- Poronidulus conchifer5 November records since 2011
Velvet Shank Flammulina velutipes5 November records since 2011
Too few past records in December in this state to list species.
⚠ Never eat a wild mushroom based on this site. We show where fungi have been recorded, nothing more. We never say any mushroom is edible or safe, and you shouldn't decide that from any website, app or photo. Many deadly mushrooms look like harmless ones. If someone may have eaten a wild mushroom, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 right away.
Often-recorded species
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Ranked by how often each appears in county top-40 lists. This is a guide to what gets recorded, not to what is common or safe.
Best months to look
Records by month, all years. Busiest: Oct, Aug, Sep.
Counties
Counties with fewer than 100 records (71) are listed here without their own page.
| County | Records |
|---|---|
| Johnson County | 1,837 |
| Linn County | 572 |
| Dickinson County | 353 |
| Polk County | 266 |
| Winneshiek County | 221 |
| Story County | 173 |
| Kossuth County | 170 |
| Fayette County | 89 |
| Boone County | 81 |
| Iowa County | 79 |
| Warren County | 79 |
| Dubuque County | 60 |
| Allamakee County | 49 |
| Emmet County | 45 |
| Clayton County | 41 |
| Webster County | 41 |
| Muscatine County | 38 |
| Madison County | 38 |
| Jackson County | 37 |
| Decatur County | 36 |
| Des Moines County | 32 |
| Dallas County | 26 |
| Clinton County | 25 |
| Benton County | 25 |
| Washington County | 23 |
| Harrison County | 22 |
| Jefferson County | 19 |
| Poweshiek County | 18 |
| Pottawattamie County | 18 |
| Marion County | 15 |
| Clarke County | 14 |
| Scott County | 13 |
| Delaware County | 10 |
| Jones County | 9 |
| Cedar County | 9 |
| Lee County | 8 |
| Louisa County | 8 |
| Fremont County | 7 |
| Henry County | 7 |
| Jasper County | 7 |
| Cherokee County | 6 |
| Shelby County | 6 |
| Hancock County | 6 |
| Bremer County | 6 |
| Black Hawk County | 5 |
| Guthrie County | 5 |
| Tama County | 4 |
| Marshall County | 4 |
| Buchanan County | 4 |
| Appanoose County | 3 |
| Hardin County | 3 |
| Buena Vista County | 3 |
| Woodbury County | 3 |
| Wapello County | 3 |
| Mills County | 3 |
| Mitchell County | 2 |
| Butler County | 2 |
| Mahaska County | 2 |
| Lyon County | 2 |
| Winnebago County | 2 |
| Lucas County | 2 |
| Carroll County | 1 |
| Greene County | 1 |
| Davis County | 1 |
| Sac County | 1 |
| Chickasaw County | 1 |
| Page County | 1 |
| Wayne County | 1 |
| Union County | 1 |
| Cass County | 1 |
| Floyd County | 1 |
| Worth County | 1 |
| Cerro Gordo County | 1 |
| Plymouth County | 1 |
| Grundy County | 1 |
| Montgomery County | 1 |
| Van Buren County | 1 |
| Adair County | 1 |
Bring along
🍄
Regional mushroom field guideSee on Amazon🍄
Folding mushroom knife with brushSee on Amazon🍄
Wicker foraging basketSee on Amazon🍄
10x hand lens / loupeSee on Amazon🍄
Spore print paperSee on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.