Mushroom season
Autumn mushrooms of Europe
September – November · 326 species · 237 edible · 28 poisonous
Autumn is the peak of mushroom season in Europe. The forest floor is still warm from the summer sun, night rains come regularly, and dew settles on the grass every morning. September and October bring the richest harvest: honey fungus takes over stumps in whole families, saffron milk caps hide among the conifers, milk caps push up from under the moss, and bay boletes glow among the yellow leaves.
The autumn season slowly winds down into November, but even then there's plenty to look for: late honey fungus, knights, woolly milkcaps. By late November the first frosts end fruiting for most species — and that's exactly when the velvet shank (Flammulina) appears, opening a new, winter chapter.
Season overview
Autumn mushrooms: what, where and when
Which mushrooms grow in autumn in Europe? Autumn mushrooms are the richest selection of the year. Honey fungus fruits in colonies from September to October; it comes up en masse after the first cool rains, on the stumps and roots of broadleaf trees. Saffron milk caps, milk caps, bay boletes, late chanterelles and porcini fill out the autumn basket. If you're looking for autumn mushrooms in a pine forest, think first of saffron milk caps, slippery jacks and blewits hiding in the needle litter.
When should you pick mushrooms in autumn? The best time is September and the first half of October, while nights stay above 8°C. Autumn knights (the blewit, the grey knight) grow right up to the frosts — they're the last edible species of the season.
By month
Autumn by month
Autumn lasts three months — september, october, november — and each has its own mushroom character. Some species fruit at the start of the season, others at its height, and still others toward the end. Pick a specific month to see the full list of mushrooms that grow right then, with tips on the weather and where to forage.
Safety
Poisonous autumn mushrooms
In autumn, the false honey fungus — the funeral bell (Galerina marginata) — is especially dangerous: it grows right next to real honey fungus on the very same stumps. The death cap is still active in September. Check every honey fungus for a ring and the color of its gills.
Of the 28 species of dangerous mushrooms active in autumn, the most dangerous are the deadly poisonous ones: Deadly dapperling, Death cap, Destroying angel, Fool's webcap, Lepiota helveola. All of them have edible lookalikes — check every find.
Compare mushrooms with their lookalikes →All poisonous mushrooms →
Full catalog
All autumn mushrooms — the full list
All 326 species of mushrooms that fruit in autumn in Europe — edible, conditionally edible and dangerous. Tap a card to open the full description with photos, morphology and lookalikes.
Agaricus abruptibulbus
Edible.webp)
Agaricus comtulus
EdibleAgaricus haemorrhoidarius
Edible
Agaricus romagnesii
EdibleAgaricus squamuliferus
Edible
Agaricus subperonatus
Edible_Fr._4948278370-2.webp)
Agaricus tabularis
Edible
Agrocybe arvalis
Inedible
Alder bolete
Gyrodon lividus
Conditionally edible
Aleurodiscus amorphus
Inedible
Almond woodwax
Hygrophorus agathosmus
Edible
Amanita battarrae
Conditionally edible
Amethyst deceiver
Laccaria amethystina
Edible
Amphinema byssoides
Inedible
Amylocorticium cebennense
Inedible
Amyloporia sinuosa
Inedible
Aniseed funnel
Clitocybe odora
Edible
Anomoporia bombycina
Inedible
Antrodia albida
Inedible
Apricot jelly
Guepinia helvelloides
Edible
Arched earthstar
Geastrum fornicatum
Inedible
Artist's bracket
Ganoderma applanatum
Inedible
Ashen chanterelle
Craterellus cinereus
Edible.webp)
Aurantiporus fissilis
Inedible
Articles
What to read about autumn mushrooms
Where & when to forageA September oak wood: photo diary from 27 September
One September day in a bright oak wood with pine: panther caps of every age, brittlegills, a young porcini, a…
October 15, 2026·11 min
Where & when to forageAn evening in a young pine wood: a photo diary from 3 October
A couple of hours before sunset in a young pine wood: suede boletes, shaggy ink caps, mysterious boletes and a…
October 14, 2026·9 min
Where & when to forageWhat grows in an October pine forest: a one-day photo diary
One October day in a bright pine wood with birch, and in the frame: birch boletes, bay boletes, porcini, a bov…
October 13, 2026·10 min
Where & when to forageHerald of winter: the mushroom of the first frosts
When the boletes are over and the forest is already catching the night cold, the herald of winter comes up in…
October 6, 2026·9 min
Frequently asked questions
All about autumn mushrooms
Which mushrooms grow in autumn in Europe?
In autumn, Europe's forests give you honey fungus (September–October), the saffron milk cap, the true milk cap (Lactarius resimus), bay boletes, knights (October–November), the woolly milkcap, late chanterelles and porcini (September). All in all, it's the richest selection of the year.
When should you pick mushrooms in autumn?
The best time is September and the first half of October. Head out 5–7 days after an autumn rain, while nights stay at 8°C or above. After the first hard frost (-3°C or lower), most species are done until next season.
Autumn mushrooms in a pine forest — what should you look for?
In a pine forest in autumn: saffron milk caps (under pines and spruces, October), slippery jacks (September–October), blewits (November), bay boletes. On pine stumps — honey fungus. Look for saffron milk caps in the rows between the trunks.
Are autumn knights edible?
The blewit and the grey knight are edible after boiling. The poplar knight is edible. But the tiger tricholoma and the white knight are poisonous. Check the smell (the poisonous ones have an unpleasant, mealy smell) and the color of the flesh.
Where can you pick mushrooms in autumn?
In autumn the best spots are broadleaf woods (honey fungus on stumps), conifer forests (saffron milk caps, slippery jacks) and mixed woods (bay boletes, milk caps).
When does mushroom season end in autumn?
The main season ends with the first lasting frosts — usually in October–November. But knights and the velvet shank (Flammulina) keep growing into December. The exact timing depends on the region: the mountains wrap up the season earlier than mild coastal areas.
The mushroom year
All seasons