Groin : Carte des champignons

A free app to explore forests and discover promising woodlands near you, complete with a guide to help you understand before you pick.
Scan the forest near you and find out what's potentially growing there, and what your local area is like: last heavy rain, humidity, recent frost, current season...

We promise you'll definitely explore and learn about your local environment!

A MAP THAT KNOWS THE TERRAIN
Across mainland France, we conducted scientific research to refine an algorithm based on over 2,000 reference books, blogs, theses, and more. Then, we cross-referenced the woodland, rock, slope, plants, weather, and other factors to be as accurate as possible in predicting the probability of finding mushrooms of each species.

WHERE'S YOUR AREA? Search for a town or forest area, or enter your location: it's not required. For the location you're looking at, you can see the last heavy rainfall, the recent frost, and the current season for the species you're searching for.

"The records" detail the rainfall day by day, soil moisture, and nights of frost, with supporting data. Dated and sourced facts, and a verdict.
We consulted books and referenced findings to document the best seasons by area and altitude; but also what most impacts the species: rainfall, soil temperature, deep moisture, proximity to watercourses, etc.

UNDERSTAND BEFORE YOU PICK
One fact sheet per species: porcini mushroom, bronze bolete, pine bolete, bay bolete, chanterelle, funnel chanterelle, black trumpet, conical morel, common morel, hedgehog mushroom.

Each entry includes high-quality, credited photos, the habitats where the species prefers to grow, and the trees and plants to look out for nearby.

The "Identify It" section presents a species and lists its main look-alikes, as identified by ANSES (the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety), starting with the most dangerous ones, and highlighting what distinguishes them. Take your time: that's what it's for.

YOUR OWN PLOTS
Keep your spots safe: a name, a species if you like, a few photos, and directions back. They're only visible to you. Take this opportunity to enable notifications; the app is there for that: it alerts you when a spot becomes a good place to go foraging!

ALWAYS GET IT CHECKED
The final word rests with an expert, in person: a mycological society or a pharmacist (call ahead, not all of them do). The Guide lists mycological societies near you. Bring the whole mushroom, not just a photo.

GET READY TO GO
The best tips answer the questions you're too embarrassed to ask. Do you pull them up or use a knife? Am I allowed to pick mushrooms here? How do I preserve them?

And if things go wrong, the right reflexes are right there, including useful phone numbers.

AN EDUCATIONAL APPROACH
Good tips, fact sheets on mushroom species, but also on trees and plants. Learn to identify mushrooms, how to find them... but also the entire ecosystem and biotope with Groin!
It's every forager's secret!

We're waiting for you for an easy exploration thanks to Groin!