About and safety

Trailside Field Guide is a pocket field guide for hikers: the plants, mushrooms and other things you can meet on a trail, tied to the place you are standing. We start in Tennessee. The promise is simple: know what you're looking at.

Mushroom safety

We never confirm that a mushroom is safe to eat from a photo, in comments or in messages. Edibility labels on this site are general information, not an identification service. Some deadly species look very like edible ones.

Collecting and protected plants

Most Tennessee state parks do not allow harvesting, and some wildflowers are protected. When a species is rare, enjoy it with your camera. Check the rules of the land you are on before you pick or collect anything.

Photos and sources

We use real photos only, never AI-generated images. Every photo is credited on the page where it appears, with its license. Months and regions come from research-grade iNaturalist sightings, and habitat details from established references such as MushroomExpert.com, a long-running mushroom guide.