Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius): where and when they grow

Yellow, fragrant and loyal: once it finds its corner, it comes back every year.

A group of egg-yolk yellow chanterelles on moss, with wavy edges and folds running down the stem
Chanterelles on moss: egg-yolk yellow, funnel-shaped with a wavy edge and, underneath, folds running down the stem instead of gills.

The chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) comes out from June to November, at its best in September, in woods of pedunculate oak, sessile oak, Pyrenean oak, sweet chestnut, beech, holm oak, cork oak and downy oak, and also among Scots pine and maritime pine, from low ground up to the middle mountains. It is also known as girolle, golden chanterelle.

See where it is ready this week

Right now, the best day forecast for chanterelles is 11 September.

The chanterelle lives in oak, chestnut and beech woods on acid soil, from the Cantabrian coast to the Pyrenees and across the humid mountains. It has the longest season of the good mushrooms: in a rainy year it comes up from June and holds on until the frosts arrive.

It likes steady moisture more than a downpour, which is why the map watches that the ground does not dry out after the rain. If you find one, look around: it rarely grows alone.

What it needs to come out

First, a good rain, the kind that soaks the ground. Then patience: it usually appears one or two weeks later, as long as the soil holds on to that moisture and stays mild. If a frost, too much water or a drying wind comes in between, the flush is aborted and never shows.

Where to look

It comes out in woods of pedunculate oak, sessile oak, Pyrenean oak, sweet chestnut, beech, holm oak, cork oak and downy oak, and also among Scots pine and maritime pine, from low ground up to the middle mountains, always on acid soils.

Chanterelles by province (in Spanish)

How the forest is doing this week

Forecast of 11 September, updated every day.

Mushrooms that share its woods

How we know when the forest wakes up (in Spanish).