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Sam Houston NF Foraging Conditions — ForageIQ

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Sam Houston NF

80–350 ft · TX🚗 Directions

S

Sam Houston NF in the East Texas Pineywoods, north of Houston. Loblolly and shortleaf pine with mixed hardwood drainages (sweetgum, beech, magnolia). Chanterelles abundant after summer rains; oysters on dead hardwoods year-round; chicken-of-the-woods on oaks.

Trees:Loblolly Pine Water Oak Sweetgum

Updated May 29, 4:15 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

# Sam Houston NF – S-Tier Window (May 29, 2026) You're looking at a textbook late-spring flush. Sustained soil temps at 76°F paired with steady moisture (0.29 VWC held for 7 days straight, backed by 4.13" over the fortnight) has triggered everything at once—oysters, wine caps, dryad's saddles, and the full spectrum of jelly fungi and polypores are in active fruiting mode. The reason this hits S-tier is that nearly all viable species for this forest type are firing simultaneously, and moisture retention has been reliable enough to sustain production. The limiting factor is moderate desiccation risk going forward. You've got the moisture *now*, but Texas heat will begin burning it off by early June. This window closes fast. Watch the next 48–72 hours for cap softness and hydration on thin-fleshed species like oysters and inkcaps—peak harvest is *today through June 1st*. After that, VWC will trend downward and fruiting will decelerate hard. **Hot tip:** Prioritize oysters, wine caps, and dryad's saddles in open understory; polypores and woody jelly fungi on deadfall will hold longer as the moisture dries out.

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(7)

Four Notch Hunter Camp

developed

~6.8 mi from center

Phelps Trail Camp

backcountry

~8.1 mi from center

East Four Notch Hiker Camp

backcountry

Sam Houston National Forest~8.3 mi from center

Cagle Recreation Area

developed

USFS~8.3 mi from center

Cagle Recreation Area: 877-444-6777

developed

USFS~8.6 mi from centerFee required/night

National Forests and Grasslands in Texas

West Huntsville Trail Camp

backcountry

~9.7 mi from center

End of the Road Spot

developed

~9.8 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

Oyster Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wine Cap

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dryad's Saddle

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Witch's Butter

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Jelly Ear

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dead Man's Fingers

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Ring Champignon

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Artist's Conk

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Birch Polypore

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Tinder Fungus

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Devil's Urn

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mica Cap

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fool's Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Inkcap

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Belted Conk

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Thin-Walled Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mossy Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

False Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Half-Free Morel

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Snow Fungus

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wood Ear

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Black Cup

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green Elfcup

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Oyster

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wolf's Milk Slime

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

King Alfred's Cakes

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Oak Mazegill

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Golden Teacher

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Banded Mottlegill

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dune Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Lantern Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 76°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.29 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.