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Congaree NP Foraging Conditions — ForageIQ

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Congaree NP

100–200 ft · SC🚗 Directions

S

Congaree National Park — 27,000 acres of the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the southeastern US. Champion loblolly pine, water tupelo, swamp chestnut oak, cherrybark oak, and bald cypress. Exceptional chicken-of-the-woods and oyster mushroom production; chanterelles on natural levees; lion's mane on hardwood snags. Boardwalk and Kingsnake trails for access.

Trees:Loblolly Pine Bald Cypress Swamp Chestnut Oak

Updated May 29, 4:19 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

# Congaree NP – S Tier | May 29, 2026 Congaree is firing on all cylinders: sustained soil warmth at 77.7°F paired with locked-in soil moisture (0.21 VWC held steady over 14 days) has triggered a complete fruiting window across 32 species. This is a rare convergence—warm enough for aggressive mycelial activity, wet enough to push flushes, with zero drought stress. You've got everything from choice edibles (Wine Cap, Dryad's Saddle) to trophy wood decay species (Artist's Conk, Red-Belted Conk) and gelatinous foragers' darlings (Wood Ear, Jelly Ear) all viable simultaneously. The only brake is moderate desiccation risk—typical for late May bottomlands where humidity can drop between rain events. Watch the next 48–72 hours; if we get a dry spell, the flush window compresses fast, but the moisture floor is solid enough to sustain fruit bodies if you work quickly. **Hot tip:** Hit the deadfall and snags hard for polypores and conks *before* the specimen hunters—they're producing everywhere, so focus on mature, choice wood (oak and hickory) in the 2–6 inch diameter sweet spot where specimens reach ideal size fastest.

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(2)

Longleaf Campground

developed

NPS~1.7 mi from centerFee required/night

Bluff Campground

developed

NPS~2.2 mi from center

6 sites

⚠ 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

Oyster Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wine Cap

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dryad's Saddle

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Witch's Butter

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Jelly Ear

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dead Man's Fingers

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Ring Champignon

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Artist's Conk

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Birch Polypore

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Tinder Fungus

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Devil's Urn

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mica Cap

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fool's Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Inkcap

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Belted Conk

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Thin-Walled Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mossy Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

False Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Half-Free Morel

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Snow Fungus

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wood Ear

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Black Cup

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green Elfcup

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Oyster

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wolf's Milk Slime

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

King Alfred's Cakes

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Oak Mazegill

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Golden Teacher

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Lantern Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

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.