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Shawnee NF Foraging Conditions — ForageIQ

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Shawnee NF

350–1,065 ft · IL🚗 Directions

S

Shawnee National Forest in southern IL. Oak-hickory forest with tulip poplar and sycamore in drainages. Sandstone bluffs create unique microclimates. Old apple orchards scattered throughout. Among the best morel territory in IL.

Trees:White Oak Hickory Tulip Poplar

Updated May 29, 4:09 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

# Shawnee NF – 29 May 2026 | S-Tier This is a perfect storm: 71°F soil, sustained moisture at 0.29 VWC over two weeks, zero drought stress, and you're staring at 30 species in full flush. The elevation sweet spot (350–1,065 ft) and May timing put you smack in the overlap between spring ephemerals and early summer wood-decayers. Half-free morels are bottoming out, but the real money is in the polypores and jelly fungi—Turkey Tail, Artist's Conk, and the Tinder family are at peak vigor right now. The only brake is moderate desiccation risk: soil moisture is abundant *now*, but without rain in the next 48–72 hours, you'll lose the soft-fruiting advantage by early June. That window tightens fast in late May. Watch the forecast obsessively. A dry spell kills your gelatinous species (Jelly Ear, Wood Ear, Snow Fungus) in 3–4 days; wood-decayers hold longer but fruit density drops. The morel tail end is already fading—don't waste time there. **Hot tip:** Hit the ash and cottonwood riparian corridors today or tomorrow for half-frees and Eyelash Cups before soil temp climbs past 73°F and dries the litter layer 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(24)

Teal Pond Campground

dispersed

~0.7 mi from centerFree/night

Red Bud Campground

developed

~1.9 mi from centerFee required/night

21 sites

Jackson Falls primitive camping

dispersed

Shawnee National Forest~3.2 mi from centerFree/night

Primitive Campsite Jackson Falls

developed

~3.3 mi from center

Bear Branch Horse Resort

developed

~4.1 mi from center

Chabnel

developed

~5.9 mi from center

Goupil

developed

~6 mi from center

Lalamont

developed

~6 mi from center

Lalandale

developed

~6 mi from center

Lakeside

developed

~6 mi from center

Daniel

developed

~6.2 mi from center

Camp Ondessonk

developed

~6.2 mi from center

Camp Ondessonk

developed

~6.2 mi from center

Brebeuf

developed

~6.2 mi from center

Garnier

developed

~6.2 mi from center

Brebeuf Flats-tents

developed

~6.2 mi from center

Tekakwitha

developed

~6.3 mi from center

Aonnetta

developed

~6.3 mi from center

Amantacha

developed

~6.3 mi from center

Chiwaenhwa

developed

~6.3 mi from center

Raganeau

developed

~6.5 mi from center

Williams Pass & OHV Park

developed

~9.4 mi from center

Group

developed

~9.7 mi from center

Oak Point Campground

developed

~9.8 mi from centerFee required/night

toiletshower

⚠ 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

Wine Cap

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dryad's Saddle

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Witch's Butter

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Jelly Ear

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 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 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Ring Champignon

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Artist's Conk

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Birch Polypore

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Tinder Fungus

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Devil's Urn

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mica Cap

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fool's Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Inkcap

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Belted Conk

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 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 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mossy Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

False Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Half-Free Morel

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Eyelash Cup

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Snow Fungus

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wood Ear

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Black Cup

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green Elfcup

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Oyster

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 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 0.26 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 0.26 VWC, 7d avg 0.29 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Oak Mazegill

All conditions met (soil 71°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.26 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.