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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 May 29, 4:14 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

**Ouachita NF hits S-tier because soil temp and sustained moisture are locked in—you're in the sweet spot of spring fruiting with 4.42" over two weeks and zero drought stress.** The roster is stacked: half-free morels are finishing strong, spring kings are popping, oysters and wine caps are aggressive on woody debris, and the polypores (Artist's, Birch, Tinder) are at peak visibility. Turkey Tail and its false cousin are prolific, and gelatinous species (Witch's Butter, Wood Ear, Jelly Ear) are hydrated and prime. The only brake is moderate desiccation risk over the next few days—conditions won't collapse, but moisture will begin trending down after late May. Watch the next 48–72 hours for the tail end of morel flush before temps ramp and dry things out; prioritize ground-fruiting species now, then shift focus to woody saprobes and perennials as the window closes. **Hot tip:** Nail the half-frees and spring kings *today*—they're ephemeral and soil temp is on the cusp of pushing them into senescence.

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

Oyster Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wine Cap

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dryad's Saddle

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Witch's Butter

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Jelly Ear

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dead Man's Fingers

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Ring Champignon

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Artist's Conk

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Birch Polypore

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Tinder Fungus

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Devil's Urn

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Spring King Bolete

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mica Cap

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fool's Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Inkcap

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Belted Conk

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Thin-Walled Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mossy Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

False Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Half-Free Morel

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Snow Fungus

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wood Ear

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Black Cup

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green Elfcup

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Oyster

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wolf's Milk Slime

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

King Alfred's Cakes

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Oak Mazegill

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

False Morel (Gyromitra)

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Golden Teacher

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.33 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — 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.