14 Common Mushrooms Found in South Dakota! (2025)
What kind of mushroom did I find in South Dakota?
If you spend time outside, you’ve probably asked this question at least once. Mushrooms are incredibly common in South Dakota, and they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
Believe it or not, there are THOUSANDS of different types of mushrooms that live in South Dakota. Since it would be nearly impossible to write about them all, I focused on the most common types that are seen.
IMPORTANT: You should NEVER eat a mushroom you find. There are many poisonous types, and some species will kill you. So stay safe, and don’t eat any wild mushrooms unless you are with a mycologist (mushroom expert)!
14 COMMON MUSHROOMS in South Dakota:
#1. Turkey-tail Mushroom
- Trametes versicolor
Identifying Characteristics:
- Caps are up to 8 cm (3 in) long and 5 cm (2 in) wide.
- Rings of different colors decorate the tops, ranging from black to shades of brown and white.
- They often grow in a stacked pattern, which makes them look like roof tiles.
This species is one of the most common mushrooms in South Dakota!
Turkey-tail typically grows on logs of deciduous trees. It’s found in mature forests where dead trees on the forest floor make a perfect environment for this fungus.
This multicolored fungus is easy to spot thanks to the concentric rings of different colors on its caps. The growing pattern of Turkey-tail is also recognizable by the way it grows in a stacked pattern that looks like roofing tiles.
Like many mushrooms, Turkey-tail is used in Eastern medicine and as an herbal supplement. However, wild specimens should NOT be consumed or handled, and supplements containing this mushroom are not FDA-approved.
#2. Fly Agaric
- Amanita muscaria
Identifying Characteristics:
- Caps are 8–20 cm (3–8 in) in diameter.
- The stalks are 5–20 cm (2–8 in) tall.
- These mushrooms have the typical looks of a “toadstool” with a bright white stalk and red, white-spotted cap.
I think this is the CUTEST mushroom in South Dakota! 🙂
Fly Agaric looks just like the mushrooms found in Mario video games.
These mushrooms are considered toadstools, which are usually poisonous to humans. Fly Agaric is no exception. This fungus can cause hallucinations, low blood pressure, nausea, loss of balance, and in rare cases, death. If you ingest it, you should seek medical treatment immediately.
Luckily, Fly Agaric is a very conspicuous fungus in its fully-grown form. However, young mushrooms can be mistaken for other edible types, so you should steer clear of eating any wild mushrooms.
#3. Dryad’s Saddle
- Cerioporus squamosus
Identifying Characteristics:
- The cap is 8–30 cm (3–12 inches) across and up to 10 cm (4 in) thick.
- It has a thick stem, and the cap is generally white or off-white with brown scales on top.
- They grow in clusters of up to three mushrooms stacked on top of one another like tiles.
Look for this mushroom in South Dakota near fallen trees.
Dryad’s Saddle is typically most abundant in spring. If you’re looking for Morel mushrooms, you may find this variety since their fruiting periods (when the fungus produces an above-ground mushroom) are about the same.
This species is important in forest ecosystems because it helps to decompose dead trees, creating new rich soil. However, it occasionally becomes a parasite on living trees as well.
Although Dryad’s Saddle is considered nonpoisonous, it can easily be confused with other deadly mushrooms. Unless you have experience with wild mushrooms, you should never eat or handle one.
#4. Chicken of the Woods
- Laetiporus sulphureus
Identifying Characteristics:
- The shelf-like caps are 5-60 cm (2-23.5 in) across and up to 4 cm (1.5 in) thick.
- Their coloring is a strikingly bright yellow, sometimes with an orange or pink center.
- They grow in a stacked shelf pattern of fan-shaped caps on the sides of trees.
Chicken of the Woods grows on a variety of hardwood trees. Usually, it thrives on dead trees, although it occasionally parasitizes mature living trees.
Many people eat this mushroom in South Dakota and Europe.
However, you should never eat this mushroom if you found it in the wild. Uncooked, it can cause an upset stomach and is unpleasant in texture. Plus, it can be confused with other poisonous varieties that can cause unpleasant symptoms or even permanent injury and death.
Unfortunately, it’s often confused with Laetiporus huroniensis, a poisonous mushroom that causes fever and vomiting. It’s best to purchase your Chicken of the Woods mushrooms from an expert forager and leave wild specimens alone!
#5. Oyster Mushrooms
- Pleurotus ostreatus
Identifying Characteristics:
- The caps are 2–30 cm (0.8–12 in) wide.
- They are fan-shaped with thick stalks and grow in a stacked pattern or irregular clusters.
- Their coloring is often white or off-white, sometimes with a light purple or gray wash.
You can find Oyster Mushrooms in South Dakota both in the wild and on farms.
These mushrooms are often used as food and are commercially farmed worldwide. In fact, they were first cultivated in Germany during World War I to mitigate hunger because of rationing. As a result, you can find these mushrooms in most grocery stores, so eat those instead of a wild variety!
Something most people don’t know is that Oyster Mushrooms are carnivorous! This species eats nematodes that you might know as roundworms. They paralyze and consume the nematodes as a source of protein and nitrogen. Additionally, Oyster Mushrooms help to decay dead trees.
Pearl Oyster Mushrooms are also dried and used as a leather-like material or compressed into a wood substitute to make furniture. Mycelium, which is the fiber that gives Oyster Mushrooms their structure, is incredibly strong and resilient. Check out this page for more info!
#6. Shaggy Mane
- Coprinus comatus
Identifying Characteristics:
- The caps are 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) wide and 6–20 cm (2.3–8 in) tall.
- Their coloring is white when they first emerge, slowly turning black as their scales lift.
- These mushrooms grow directly from the ground as single caps or clusters.
It’s easy to see how Shaggy Mane Mushrooms in South Dakota got their name!
These tall, slender mushrooms have distinctive scales that make them look like they’re covered in shaggy hair. They often grow in suburban yards or fields straight from the ground.
Shaggy Manes definitely have some “yuck” factors. They’re called Ink Caps because their black gills liquefy and leak down the mushroom to release its spores. Additionally, the entire mushroom will “auto-decay,” digesting itself into a dark liquid within hours of being picked.
Shaggy Manes look very similar to poisonous mushrooms that are found in South Dakota. Leave these mushrooms where you found them, and never eat them!
#7. Mica Cap
- Coprinellus micaceus
Identifying Characteristics:
- The bell-shaped caps are 1–2.5 cm (.5–1 in) in diameter when new and expand up to 5 cm (2 in) as they open.
- These mushrooms grow in dense clusters of bell-shaped caps with long, thin stems. The caps have grooves that run vertically, giving them the appearance of a head of straight hair.
- Their coloring is grayish brown.
This unassuming mushroom has a creepy talent – it can self-destruct! Mica Cap autodigests within a few hours of being picked, meaning its flesh turns from a spongy white structure into an inky black liquid. Yuck!
Mica Cap is usually found in clusters at the base of deciduous trees in mature forests. This mushroom’s less-than-appetizing qualities are just one reason I recommend never eating wild mushrooms. Additionally, there’s a high likelihood of ingesting a poisonous mushroom by mistake.
If you see Mica Cap in the wild, it’s best to take a picture of the fascinating clusters and then leave it be. After all, if you pick it, you’re likely to be covered in gross black goo!
#8. Orange Jelly Spot
- Dacrymyces chrysospermus
Identifying Characteristics:
- Complex groups of caps grow up to 6 cm (2.4 in) across.
- The coloring is vibrant orange-yellow.
- This fungus has an irregular, wavy shape and often looks like goop stuck to a tree.
Orange Jelly Spot isn’t technically a mushroom in South Dakota!
Even though it looks like a mushroom, this species is just a fungus. As you can see, it gets its name from its unusual shape and color, which completely differs from what most people picture in a mushroom. In fact, it looks more like a bright orange brain than anything else! Orange Jelly Spot also has a jelly-like, wobbly texture.
You can find this strange fungus on dead conifer trees like pine and spruce. It was originally discovered in New England but has a worldwide distribution! Most people probably go their whole lives without knowing this oddity exists, but if you keep an eye out in the woods, you’re likely to find it.
#9. Candleflame Lichen
- Candelaria concolor
Identifying Characteristics:
- Single lobes of this lichen are less than 1 cm (0.4 in) wide, but they can cover enormous surface areas, including entire trees.
- The coloring is golden yellow to yellow-green.
- This lichen has a branch-like appearance, similar in shape to coral.
Candleflame Lichen is technically NOT a mushroom in South Dakota.
Instead, lichens are complex organisms that involve a symbiotic relationship between fungus and algae. The mutually beneficial relationship allows lichens to survive in habitats that would kill fungi and algae independently.
For example, Candleflame Lichen can be found anywhere from arid deserts to wet conifer forests. It’s one of the most widespread lichens in the world! Look for this lichen on trees, where it attaches to tree bark and slowly spreads.
#10. Schrenk’s Red-belted Conk
- Fomitopsis schrenki
- The cap is woody and fan-shaped, with a smooth surface and a bumpy edge.
- Look for the color pattern: whitish-orange at the base, true orange or brown in the center, and creamy-white at the edge.
- The underside is light yellow or white with pores.
Schrenk’s Red-belt Conk is a newly isolated species!
Until genetic research in 2019, scientists thought this mushroom was identical to the Red-belted Conk (Fomitopsis pinicola).
Like other conk mushrooms, this species grows on trees or logs. They prefer coniferous trees and rarely grow on hardwoods.
Interestingly, Schrenk’s Red-belted Conk and other Fomitopsis species can be used to make paper. Their flesh has the same fibrous quality as wood.
#11. Elegant Sunburst Lichen
- Rusavskia elegans
- It forms small colonies up to 2.5 inches across.
- The body is leaf-like and divided into small lobes.
- The color may be yellowish-orange, bright orange, or dark reddish-orange.
Elegant Sunburst Lichen is more than just a beauty to look at!
This was the first species scientists used for lichenometry, or using a lichen’s presumed growth rate to estimate the age of exposed rock faces. Archeologists, paleontologists, and geologists, in particular, use this method to estimate how old the specimens they find might be.
Elegant Sunburst Lichen is widespread, growing on rocks in humid and dry climates. Pay special attention to rocks that birds or rodents perch on because their droppings provide the lichen with the extra nitrogen it needs to thrive.
Its color may vary depending on where you find it. Elegant Sunburst Lichen is often a lighter yellowish-orange when growing in creeks. On rocks that are out of the water, it tends to be bright orange; in dry areas, it may darken to reddish-orange.
#12. Bristly Beard Lichen
- Usnea hirta
- This lichen varies in shape from drooping strands to upright, densely branched, shrubby tufts.
- It’s pale and may be grayish-green, yellowish-green, or blackish-gray.
- It’s stiff when dry but limp when wet.
Bristly Beard Lichen is one of the most widespread and recognizable lichen species.
It usually grows in open coniferous or mixed forests where it can receive plenty of sunlight.
Bristly Beard usually grows on dead and dying trees. It prefers acidic bark, so it mainly grows on coniferous trees, though it occasionally grows on deciduous species like birch or even on rock surfaces.
Like many lichens, Bristly Beard is sensitive to air pollution, especially sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen compounds. It also bioaccumulates heavy metals. Researchers have found it to be a suitable species for monitoring air pollution. Historically, Bristly Beard lichen was used as a medicinal herb, a source of vitamin C, and a natural dye for textiles.
#13. Hooded Sunburst Lichen
- Xanthomendoza fallax
- This lichen grows in small rosettes up to 1.5 inches (3.81 cm) wide.
- The rosettes are leaf-like, appear wrinkled, and are divided into branches.
- They’re usually yellowish-orange, reddish-orange, orange, or greenish-yellow.
The Hooded Sunburst Lichen is a common species in South Dakota.
Its color varies somewhat with its habitat. In areas of deep shade, it’s often greenish-yellow, while in partial shade, it may be yellowish-orange to orangish-red, and in full sun, it can be deep orange.
This lichen thrives on the bark of hardwood trees, particularly elm or oak trees. However, it’s adaptable and grows on other hard surfaces, including cemetery stones, large rocks, or even bones.
Hooded Sunburst Lichen often reproduces asexually. The tips of the lichen’s lobe curl around to expose crescent-shaped slits that open and release packets of young lichen. These packets are then dispersed to colonize other surfaces.
#14. Black Knot
- Apiosporina morbosa
- This fungus forms rough black growths on the twigs or branches of trees in the Prunus genus, such as cherry, plum, apricot, and chokecherry.
You may have spotted this unusual fungus without realizing what it was.
Black Knot resembles a clod of dirt or droppings on a twig or limb. This fungus was first detected in Pennsylvania in 1821 and, after spreading across North America, was a significant problem in plum and cherry orchards in the late 19th century.
The fungus first shows as olive green in the spring and spreads spores to infect nearby trees as they mature. The spores infect trees at wounds or shoots. Black Knot usually occurs on twigs and smaller limbs. It can disfigure trees and affect young trees’ health and productivity by causing foliage to wilt and shoots to die. Occasionally, Black Knot forms on the main tree and can kill a tree when it girdles the main trunk or large limbs.
Fortunately, orchardists can effectively manage Black Knot today by pruning affected limbs.
Learn about other awesome things in South Dakota!
- POISONOUS MUSHROOMS that grow in South Dakota
- VENOMOUS SPIDERS found in South Dakota
- Flowers that attract HUMMINGBIRDS in South Dakota
- The MOST Common INSECTS that live in South Dakota
Which type of mushroom is your favorite?
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