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Buffalo National River Foraging Conditions — ForageIQ

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Buffalo National River

500–2,500 ft · AR🚗 Directions

S

Buffalo NR corridor — first National River, deep limestone bluffs and old-growth pockets in the Ozark Plateau. Mixed mesophytic forest in coves: tulip poplar, sugar maple, white oak, basswood. Excellent spring morel hunting in dying-elm flats and tulip poplar coves.

Trees:Tulip Poplar Sugar Maple White Oak

Updated Jul 13, 4:14 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

# Buffalo National River – S-Tier Breakdown Buffalo's earning S-tier status because soil temps have stabilized well above fruiting threshold (77°F sustained for a full week), the moisture trigger is locked, and drought status is clean. You're looking at a genuinely open season across 70+ species—this is the rare window where everything from boletes to wood decomposers to Amanitas are priming simultaneously. The limiting factor is moderate desiccation risk: that 0.51" over the last week is thin, and you're in a warm, post-snowmelt window where evaporation will accelerate. Mushroom flush duration will compress. Watch the next 48–72 hours closely—if precip stays absent, the fruiting window tightens fast. Prioritize quick-colonizers: Chicken of the Woods, Wine Caps, and Oysters fruit within days of the right trigger and tolerate drying better than slow boletes. Chanterelles and Frost's Boletes are viable but need ground moisture to persist through maturity. **Hot tip:** Hunt standing dead aspen and cottonwoods at dawn—wood decomposers (Turkey Tail, Artist's Conk, Aspen Oyster) are moisture-buffered and will outlast soil fruiters if desiccation accelerates.

Generated by Claude (Anthropic) from the structured weather, soil, and phenology data on this page. The LLM can misread edge cases — treat this as a starting hypothesis, not a guarantee. Always verify conditions on the ground before committing to a long drive.

Foraging Potential95/100

✅Moisture

✅Soil Temp

✅No Freeze

✅No Drought

Precip 7d

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Nearby Camping

Within(4)

Tyler Bend Walk-in Campground

developed

NPS~0.6 mi from center

10 sites

Tyler Bend Drive-in Campground

developed

NPS~0.7 mi from centerFee required/night

27 sites

Group Campground

developed

Buffalo National River~0.9 mi from centerFee required/night

Woolum Campground

developed

Buffalo National River~7.5 mi from center

⚠ Road Access Notice

Always verify road access is public before following GPS directions to mountain areas. Many forest roads are seasonal, gated, or require 4WD. Dispersed camping follows USFS/BLM rules (typically 14-day limit). Check ranger district offices for current road and campground conditions.

Viable Species

Confidence × Primordia state

HIGHPrimed

Frost's Bolete

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Oyster Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Chanterelle

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Chicken of the Woods

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Black Trumpet

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Destroying Angel

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Wine Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Giant Puffball

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Witch's Butter

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Bolete

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Indigo Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Crown-Tipped Coral

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Jelly Ear

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Dead Man's Fingers

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Parasol Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Shaggy Parasol

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Ring Champignon

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Artist's Conk

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Birch Polypore

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Tinder Fungus

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Bird's Nest Fungus

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Cinnabar Chanterelle

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Berkeley's Polypore

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Capped Scaber Stalk

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Old Man of the Woods

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Horse Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Mica Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Two-Colored Bolete

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Smooth Chanterelle

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Blusher

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Caesar's Amanita

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Weeping Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Gem-Studded Puffball

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Green-Gill Lepiota

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Yellow Patches

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Cordyceps

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Bitter Bolete

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Green Cracked Russula

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Blackening Russula

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Peppery Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Grisette

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Coker's Amanita

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Fool's Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Alcohol Inky

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Inkcap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Yellow-Stainer

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Belted Conk

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Thin-Walled Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Mossy Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

False Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Northern Tooth

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Eyelash Cup

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Snow Fungus

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Wood Ear

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Crested Coral

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Green Elfcup

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Ivory Funnel

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Oyster

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Wolf's Milk Slime

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Dog Vomit Slime Mold

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Fluted Bird's Nest

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

King Alfred's Cakes

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Dung Bird's Nest

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Parasite Bolete

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Rooted Collybia

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

The Deceiver

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Oak Mazegill

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Ravenel's Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

HIGHPrimed

Elegant Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.16 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)

Primordia readiness: Cold = mycelium dormant. Activating = soil warming, primordia building. Primed = 5+ sustained warm days at species threshold; fruiting imminent if moisture cooperates. Based on Schmidt 1983 / Mihail 2007.