Photo by Lia Keener on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · photographed specimen identified as Picea sitchensis, a close relative
Spruce and fir tips
Picea spp.
This one has a dangerous look-alike
Yew is the one to know: flat dark needles, red berry-like cups, and every part is toxic. Yews are shrubby ornamentals, not forest conifers.
- When
- Typically May – June — May, June. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it grows
- Any spruce or fir; roadside trees at eye level are easiest.
- How to know it
- The new growth at branch tips in late spring: pale bright green, soft, still wearing a papery brown sheath.
- Harvest and use
- Citrusy. Syrup, salt, shortbread, beer. A pinch goes a long way.
Found in these regions
- Boreal North & Taiga
- Boreal Forest & Shield
- Acadian Forest & Atlantic Coast
- Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Lowlands
- Western Mountains & Interior Plateaus
- Pacific Maritime
Hardiness zones 1–7.
Is it ready near you?
Get this week's foraging guide for your area
Enter a town, postal code or ZIP and we'll tell you what's in season right there this week — from your local climate, this week's weather and your ecological region.
Also ready in September
FruitAugust – SeptemberBeach plum
Prunus maritima
Low sprawling shrub in the sand, with dusty purple plums about the size of a marble.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
NutSeptember – OctoberBlack walnut
Juglans nigra
Tennis-ball green husks lying under a tall tree with long compound leaves; the husk stains everything it touches brown.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0
FruitAugust – SeptemberChokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Long drooping clusters of dark red-to-black cherries on a small tree with finely toothed oval leaves.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.