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Ouachita NF (OK) Foraging Conditions — ForageIQ

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Ouachita NF (OK)

600–2,500 ft · OK🚗 Directions

S

Oklahoma side of the Ouachita NF — shortleaf pine, white oak, hickory across the Ouachita Mountains east of McAlester. Excellent yellow morel territory in spring; chanterelles, lobster, and hen-of-the-woods through summer/fall. Heavy public access via Talimena Scenic Drive.

Trees:Shortleaf Pine White Oak Hickory

Updated Jul 13, 4:14 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

**Ouachita NF S-Tier Breakdown** You're looking at a perfect thermal window—77°F soil sustained across a full week, paired with stable moisture at 0.23 VWC average and zero drought stress. That's why the entire viable roster is firing: every major edible, medicinal, and specialty species on the Ouachita platform has conditions met simultaneously. Boletes, chanterelles, chicken, wine caps, puffballs, and the full polypore/jelly lineup are all actively fruiting or primed to fruit. The only constraint is *moderate desiccation risk*—heat stress on exposed fruitbodies, not substrate—which means flush timing and microclimate placement (north-facing, shaded draws, high-canopy cover) becomes tactically critical. Watch the next 72 hours for flush consolidation: if temps hold and humidity doesn't crater, you'll see secondary flushes of boletes and cooler-loving chanterelles shift into prime harvestability. Main limitation is surface moisture evaporation on exposed sites; the soil is not the problem. **Hot tip:** Hunt the north-facing ravine bottoms where Aspen Bolete, Frost's, and Indigo Milk Cap congregate—those microclimates will extend your window and yield the cleanest specimens.

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(6)

Billy Creek Recreation Area

developed

USFS~1.9 mi from centerFee required/night

Ouachita National Forest

Winding Stair Campground

developed

~2.8 mi from center

Hikers Camp for Winding Stair Campground

backcountry

~2.8 mi from center

Winding Stair Campground

developed

USFS~2.8 mi from centerFee required/night

Ouachita National Forest

Cedar Lake Sandy Beach

developed

~6.8 mi from center

Cedar Lake Recreation Area

developed

USFS~6.8 mi from centerFee required/night

Ouachita National Forest

⚠ 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 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Oyster Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Chanterelle

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Chicken of the Woods

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wine Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Giant Puffball

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Reishi

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Witch's Butter

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Bolete

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Indigo Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Crown-Tipped Coral

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Jelly Ear

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Panther Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dead Man's Fingers

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Parasol Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Shaggy Parasol

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Ring Champignon

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Artist's Conk

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Birch Polypore

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Tinder Fungus

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bird's Nest Fungus

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Cinnabar Chanterelle

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Berkeley's Polypore

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Capped Scaber Stalk

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Old Man of the Woods

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Horse Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mica Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Two-Colored Bolete

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Smooth Chanterelle

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Caesar's Amanita

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

The Prince

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Weeping Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green-Gill Lepiota

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bitter Bolete

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Chicken-Fat Bolete

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

The Sickener

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green Cracked Russula

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Peppery Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Coker's Amanita

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fool's Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Alcohol Inky

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Inkcap

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Yellow-Stainer

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Belted Conk

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Thin-Walled Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mossy Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

False Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Northern Tooth

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Snow Fungus

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wood Ear

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green Elfcup

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Ivory Funnel

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Oyster

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wolf's Milk Slime

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dog Vomit Slime Mold

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fluted Bird's Nest

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

King Alfred's Cakes

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Scaly Wood Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dung Bird's Nest

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Oak Mazegill

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Golden Teacher

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Ravenel's Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Elegant Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 77°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.21 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — 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.