Alaska:Alaska:
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 21:54:00 -0800. Subject: First Morels. Found our first ones today (6/16/2003) twenty miles west of Glennallen, Alaska I only wish they were as thick as the mosquitoes. Anna S.
Arizona:
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 19:38:58 -0500. Subject: Arizona Mushrooms. You might be interested in the July 2003 edition of Arizona Highways. While I don't see any sightings from AZ, an article features the Arizona Mushroom Club ... 300+ members ... a trek to the White Mountains ... and a picture of a "cavernous yellow morel" on page 51. I'm going now to check out their website. Norm
Alberta, Canada:
Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 10:40:35 -0600. Subject: Found some. I found a 14 black ones near Athabasca Alberta Canada. They appear to be just starting and I'll hunt for some more next weekend. The weather turned cold (2 degrees C) on the weekend but is supposed to be 20 degrees C by the middle of the week. Dan
Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 13:04:23 -0700. Subject: found morels. Hi Tom. Liz and Barry here. Went picking in Slave Lake area May 22 Found false morels. No morels yet in burn area of 2 years ago, by the way do the morels grow in a burn area the 2nd year after the burn.We also went to the Ft. Macmurry area on the 28th and 29th 0f May. Found some nice black morels but mostly small ones.Funny we were the only ones picking.
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2003 12:36:34 -0600. Subject: Early Morels. Picked 25 pounds of Early Morels (Verpa Bohemica I believe) and 4 black ones (elata) on May 25-27 in west central Alberta. Some sites indicate these Early Morels as poisonous. Not sure what to make of that. Victor A.
Arkansas:
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 10:00:12 -0600. Subject: AR Report. Went to my location in NW Arkansas near Siloam Springs today (03/22/03) and found nothing. This spot usually produces a small cache of morels and I am certain that it will again soon. ~Scott
From: Jim H. Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 14:33:28 -0800. Subject: First Mushrooms of 2003. Oh Joy to the World!!! Found seven small gray morels in the front yard of a business in Harrison, Arkansas today. Big yellows can't be far behind!!!! 3-26-03. Read this and weep brothers Larry, Denny and Don.
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 10:07:13 -0600. Subject: Morels in North Central Arkansas. Tom, I went out yesterday (Thursday) to my favorite morel area not too far from Petit Jean State Park and over the course of 5 hours I collected over 250 gray (young yellow) morels! This calculates to 50 morels per hour - not a bad haul for an afternoon of walking in the woods. I am returning to the area on Saturday and perhaps Sunday. Judging from what I saw yesterday - it appears that morels may be fruiting in large numbers in Arkansas this year, so I am cautiously optimistic that this year may be a GREAT year for collecting morels in Arkansas. Jay J.
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003. Subject: Update on morels in Arkansas. I visited my morel site this past Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I collected 146 gray and yellow morels and the largest Gyromitra caroliniana that I think I have ever seen. It weighted 4 lbs and 4 ounces and the head measured 19" in circumference at the widest point. It was a foot tall. Sunday I hunted for about 6 hours but only found about 46 more morels. I plan to visit the site one more time this coming Saturday and I am hoping to hit a mark of 500 morels collected this season on Saturday. This year is turning out to be a great year for morels in Arkansas at least based on the collections at the site where I hunt. Jay
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 15:59:06 -0600. Subject: RE: picture of large false morel. I noticed you had some pics of morels on your sightings page and I just wanted to make the offer to send you a pic of the very large Gyromitra caroliniana if you think it would be a good pic to include on the sightings page. The circumference measured 19" at the widest part of the cap. It weighted 4 lbs., 4oz when removed from its natural habitat. I plan to visit my site one more time this coming Saturday and I will give my final report of the season for me in Arkansas after that visit. My next moreling event will be in Missouri the last weekend of April. Jay. A caution to readers - the mushroom pictured is a Gyromitra caroliniana. It is not a morel at all. This particular variety is edible - BUT is has many look-alikes that can be poisonous remember -if they're reddish, you could be deadish. See Michael Kuo's website. mushroomexpert.com
Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 10:34:15 -0600. Subject: Edibility of Gyromitra caroliniana. Tom, Apparently you and Michael Kuo differ in your opinion of the edibility of G. caroliniana. As you can see below, he says that it is not a safe edible."I am still of the opinion that it is not entirely a safe mushroom to eat and I do not recommend it to people - at least those that I like!, Jay.
Gyromitra caroliniana http://www.bluewillowpages.com/mushroomexpert/gyromitra.html
False Morel Toxicity http://www.bluewillowpages.com/mushroomexpert/false_morel_toxicity.html
This springtime false morel occurs in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. Despite the fact that it is consumed by many, this mushroom is not a safe edible! See the page on False Morel Toxicity for further information.
Good catch Jay, Actually Michael and I agree completely in that neither one of us would consume the Gyromitra caroliniana or any of the red false morels. I meant to add that it is not a safe edible, which is why I referred to Michael's website. For those of you that want to read Michael's False Morel Toxicity report, I'm posting it here because it is important. You may also see it on Michael's page at the link. The information below is copyrighted so if you pass it on, you need to give credit to: Kuo, M. (2001). False morel toxicity. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.bluewillowpages.com/mushroomexpert/false_morel_toxicity.html
False Morel Toxicity Though it is rare, it is well documented that false morels can be fatally poisonous. The poison in false morels is MMH, or monmethylhydrazine (a chemical also found in rocket fuel). Though MMH is not understood completely by scientists, there is no question about whether it is poisonous or not. It appears that MMH may occur in different quantities in different false morels (even members of the same species), that its presence may vary according to geography, that its affect on people may vary between individuals, and that its toxicity may be cumulative (raising the possibility of eating false morels safely for years and then, one day, croaking after one bite). Clearly, MMH is not to be messed with.
Despite scientific evidence that false morels are poisonous, they are eaten by many people. I concede this point. Many mushroomers in our area scoff at warnings about the "beefsteak morel," since they have been picking and eating them for years. These people are lucky. It is quite possible that Old Bob could eat beefsteak morels for 20 years, and one day keel over in the kitchen just from breathing the fumes of the cooking mushrooms. It's probably possible to press your lips to your car's exhaust pipe and breathe deeply once a week for 20 years without ever feeling the effects . . . does that mean you'd do it?
The "Scandinavia excuse" is worthless. Yes, false morels are picked, eaten, even sold commercially in Scandinavia. I lived in Finland for a year, and found plenty of false morels--"ear mushrooms" (korvasieni), as they call them. But I didn't eat one bite. It may be that, for some reason, the far northern latitude is related to reduced levels of poison. But even in Finland, reports of poisonings exist; the year I was there newspapers were beginning to warn their readers about possible dangers.
Even when it's not fatal, MMH is not a pleasant poison. You could be hospitalized, sick for days, or just throw up all night, depending on many factors. Mushroom author David Arora writes that false morels "have puzzled scientists for years because of the very narrow threshold between complete absence of discomfort and severe poisoning or even death" (893). Do you want to approach that threshold? The only intelligent decision to make about false morels is to admire their beauty and move on; no person in his or her right mind should knowingly eat a false morel.
Kuo, M. (2001). False morel toxicity. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.bluewillowpages.com/mushroomexpert/false_morel_toxicity.html
Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 18:45:17 -0500. Last Saturday (April 6), I searched my favorite morel site in Sebastian County Arkansas. I go when the redbud trees are in bloom. That has always been the best indicator for me. So the time being right, I set out for the "ash grove" and found morels but not in number or size as last year-I suspect that perhaps it has been drier this year. Ron
Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2003. Subject: Arkansas. Found a few in southern Arkansas County a week ago and had a report of a finding along the lower White River last Sat. This last weekend I (April 5-6) found about 30 in Stone, Baxter and VanBuren counties in north central Arkansas. Most were small, gray and just starting to poke up through the leaves. I looked around a lot of ash trees to find them. Until last Sunday most of this area has had very little rainfall. Hopefully the freeze in northern Arkansas tonite won't scare them away. Jerry L
From: Char. Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2003 21:08:04 -0700. Subject: morels. I live in Batesville,Ark. It is in the north central part of the state.Last week I found a few blacks and this week I found all three kinds. I've been hunting morels for about 20 years.I mostly find them around Elm trees and Ash trees.They usually come up when the red buds bloom around here.
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 10:29:18 -0500. Subject: Arkansas morels. Temperatures reached unusually high levels (80's) this weekend which was a surprise after having snow flurries last Wed. With low humidity the woods were very dry. However, morel hunting was pretty good. I found 105 morels with most being yellow and some blacks. They were at the base of ash trees near the tops of ridges of the Ozark Mts in north central Arkansas (Polk and VanBuran counties). There should be a week or two left for finding them. Jerry L.
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003. Subject: Morels in AR. Found our first morel April 4th, in Carroll Co. Arkansas. Have found a few hunred between 3 people. We hunt all colors, the grey and yellow under sycamore and black under ash trees. Went today 4-19-03, after the rain and filled 3 mesh orange bag half way full. Please. if you hunt use mesh bags, NOT plastic. Sending this cute picture of a large one i found today. Thanks for the site, Mary W.
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003. Subject: 2003 Arkansas Sightings. The wife and I went out 04/18/03 and found enough for a small meal. We were hunting only around our house near Siloam Springs, AR. This year has been a bit dry and had some wild variances in temperature. We finally got a good rain yesterday and today is overcast a cool, so hopefully we can knock one out of the park today. The best finds so far were in shaded areas 2-3" tall yellow morels!! It's like Easter for grownups!! :) Best of luck to everyone and have a fantastic day. ~Scott
British Columbia, Canada:
Date: Fri, 02 May 2003 05:51:46 +0000. Subject: morel sighting in BC. Hi Tom. I spotted a large black one near Parksville on Vancouver Island, BC. The date April 21, '03. This was a natural not from a burn site. Have fun. Lisa
California:
morels sighted! Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 20:07:10 EST. WAKE UP!!! A friend of mine, says his friend in southern cal. found about three pounds of yellow morels. He said close to the coast. Maybe right on the coast, my guess, in the ice plant. I'm not down there, I'm in N.cal.If I lived there I'd be looking....pappo
Sat, 18 Jan 2003 00:40:33 -0600, I got a sighting for ya. Today (1/17/2003) I found some 2 inch tall black morels along 2nd street in Davis, CA. I had Chris Friel, the president of the Davis Mycological Society confirm my ID for me since I'm an amateur edibles collector. Being somewhat ignorant, I ate one raw. 12 hours later, no signs yet of poisoning, yet. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Anyway, happy hunting. -Daniel R. Dan, before you depart (just kidding) we'd all be interested in the flavor of the raw one. I've had raw morels served in restaurants so maybe you'll be okay. The flavor wasn't nearly as good. Tom N.
Sighting, Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 18:44:35 -0800, From: Kev. I found several nice morels growing in the mortar of a brick wall, in the mission district of San Francisco today!
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 01:41:55 -0800. Subject: Morels in my backyard? Hello, I'm in San Mateo, California. I have absolutely no experience in identifying mushrooms, but I'm almost positive I've got some morels growing in my backyard. I've got 2 or 3 just starting to sprout, and one that's about 6-7 inches in length. Is there any way I can find out for sure? Thanks! -Derek Y. Hi Derek,There are three characteristics that are common to true edible morels. In other words, a true morel has all three of these characteristics: 1. The cap resembles a sponge with pits and ridges rather than folds and wrinkles. 2. A morel is completely hollow - both the cap and the stem. 3. The cap and stem are connected to each other at the base of the cap. The alternate is that the stem goes up into the cap thus the cap hangs down over the stem. This is the season in California, so if what you have meets the above criteria - enjoy. If the weather stays cool and moist, the morels will continue to grow. You could even water them with non-clorinated water. Once it gets above 80 degrees, they will start to deteriorate. Hope this helps. Tom N.
From: Greenvalleygrill. Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 14:03:33 EST. Subject: sightings. i found 5 lbs in my neighbors back yard in santa cruz CA on feb 20th. in landscape bark laid new this summer..probably originated from oregon due ot the mass sprouting that is occurring...not usual for santa cruz....we find them sporadiccally at best!!
From: "Longmires". Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 22:02:20 -0800. Subject: morels in sierra nevada, California. I found 6 thumb-sized morels on March 1, 2003 growing in a raised garden bed mulched with wood chips. 5 of them were what I'd call M. crassipes and 1 was definitely different -- probably M. deliciosa. This is near Rough & Ready, CA, at an elevation of 2,200 feet. However, I've been looking since then and have found no more.
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 16:06:41 EST. Morels in Eldorado County Ca. Received an email from a friend on Saturday that he had been alerted to a fruiting in a freshly mulched public "garden" bed in his home town, he picked 8 lb., told a neighbor who picked some more, and I showed up Monday and was still able to get 3 lb. and leave enough for another time (or someone else). Examples collected were M. elata, M. angusticeps, M. esculenta, M. conica, and M. semilibera. Very nice to be able to get so many different varieties in one place and at one time, sure doesn't happen often enough for me! Good luck to all in your hunts this year. Jon D.
From: Pappion333. Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 11:10:57 EST. Subject: morel sightings mulch content. Hello fellow California hunters, I believe that bark and mulch most likely originates from either Oregon or Idaho. A mix of Ponderosa pine and Oregon white fir.The angusticep morel grows in the forest there naturally, and the conica morels flurish in logged areas and disturbed soils(often in bark mulch).I doubt this Morel producing bark is from redwood. Happy Hunting.
From: Debra H. Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. Subject: CA morel sightings. Im new to the world of morels, but am rapidly becoming addicted! A new neighbor turned me on to the fact that I have them growing all over my hill. They seem to love the darkness under my Manzanita trees. Ive even found some that are baseball size. Funny thing, they hve been there every spring for years, I just thought they were fun brainy looking fungusS go figure! Oh by the way, Im in Middletown, CA, which is up north of Napa.
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 16:00:47 -0700. Subject: sighting near Yosemite. We live in Mariposa, California -- about 40 miles from Yosemite National Park. Morels have appeared on the site of last fall's burn pile and near some Ponderosa pines. Trudy W.
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003. I was shocked to find some morels growing in wood chips (April 28, 2003) and mulch in my front yard in Simi Valley, California!! My family and I were fanatics for hunting morels when I grew up in northern Ohio 45 years ago. I still dream about hunting them in woods back there, but never thought I'd find them in my front yard. I'm still examining them to be sure they are true morels. I'd love a picture to differentiate between "pits and ridges" and "folds and wrinkles". These fit the other two requirements and I guess would be considered black morels I grew up with brown and light colored ones. I am so excited to find them and all this information on the web site. Thanks. Chris E.
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 20:52:52 -0700. Subject: Morel Sighting in Northern California. From Jeffery. 04-30-2003. Found small patch of Yellow Morels in sandy dirt 2 feet from pavement on the shoulder of Hwy 20 at Blue Lakes, located just inside Lake County's Western border. The largest was just short of 6" tall. I've found quite a few over the years but never this close to a well traveled roadway or in shoulder fill type of soil. They'll go well with the London Broil I had planned for tonight.
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 12:10:42 PDT. Subject: CA sightings. Hi, I found 18 small but tasty blonds in El Dorado county, CA. They were just downhill from the snow melt, at about 4000' elevation. Some were even breaking through the edge of the snow. Seemed to be associated with chapparals, in disturbed ground (campsites). Thanks for the site, Brad
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 15:24:10 -0700. Subject: Sighting report. Hiya, May 13, 2003 - Lake Tahoe / Sighting report - Black Morels. These are the first I have seen this year on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. Located in the middle of a very lightly used forest road at 6300 feet surrounding a protruding piece of granite. pic attached. The one on the left is about as big as my thumb. I visited this area one week ago and saw nothing. Jim D.
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 15:38:11 -0700. Subject: good year!! Tuolumne Co. CA. May 13. Lots of morels between 4 and 6 thousand feet ele. Early for this area and ABUNDANT!! Mostly on southern facing slopes, open areas. Leni
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 14:02:05 -0500. Subject: Morels in N. California!!! Two lucky Midwesterners were camped near Mount Shasta, CA on Memorial Day 2003 and found about 5 pounds of lovely black morels. Some were fresh, most were dry which wasn't bad, it was convenient since we were traveling w/o a cooler. We were just below 5000 feet and the snow pack started around 5500, so I am thinking we were just at the right level since we looked a little higher and lower and found nothing in similar areas. They made the rest of our trip quite tasty because we ate them for three days at dinner and certainly hadn't expected anymore since we had quit hunting Northern Illinois about two weeks prior. Happy Trails to all!! Unkle Korpse and Mama Doe
Colorado:
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: chomping at the bit. After two years of horrible drought, Colorado has had lovely, welcome moisture for the past three weeks with more expected. Although, no one has found morels yet, we are poised, with baskets ready, to go forth and pick a bunch. Every indicator is positive; the apple trees are blooming, the asparagus is coming up, and when the lilacs bloom, so will the morels. Will report on the forest fire areas, but I think the soil must be wrong, as we rarely see morels where there has been a recent fire. Reported by BOLETUS -
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 21:40:15 EDT. Subject: Found 'em! Went to my spot along "a waterway" in Boulder today (Fri 4/25) and found the beginnings of a patch of yellows! Took a 3" (the biggest one there) to prove to myself and others that I actually found some. I'll wait for the warm weather this weekend to let the rest grow and I'll check em out next week. Meanwhile I'll check here in Loveland tomorrow to see if I can find some... Cheers! John C.
On Friday, April 25th I checked my favorite Morel spot near Boulder and just outside Denver along the Platt River. and found over a dozen young yellows in just one small area. I picked about 5 of them and planned to return to the area Sunday to allow them to grow a bit more and spore. I used the 5 to demonstrate how morels look as I led a Morel Foray for the Colorado Mycological Society on Saturday, April 26th. I spent the day showing our members how to identify habitat and other indicators and the group found about 45 to 60 yellow morels. Most were quite young. There are a couple of interesting notes to this season in Colorado. Some of the indicators that I have been using are a little off. Yellow morels in Colorado are often associated with narrow leaf cottonwood, and appear about the time that the leaves on the tree are about an 1.1/4 inch long. This season the narrow leaf cottonwood leaves are late and most are still in bud phase. Other indicators such as the height of grasses and mints and the blooming of Oregon Grape are right where they should be. Another difference this year is that we are finding morels under Box Elder this spring, much more so than in other years. Lastly, a few of my prime spots have not yielded any morels. I do not know if this is because of last year's drought, or if it is just too early yet. On a disappointing note, when I returned to my best morel grounds on Sunday, someone had picked the area clean. I guess I will have to find some new areas, always a long process in Colorado. William N. W.
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003. Subject: Colorado's first morels. 46 morels may not sound like many to those who pick 46 pounds, but it is pretty good for us. On Saturday, the 26th of April, a group foray turned up 46 in one of the canyons west of Denver. I went today and found only two, but all the indicators are indicating, so I expect to be collecting a lot in about a week to ten days. We need just a little more warm weather. BOLETUS
Date: Fri, 2 May 2003 06:24:30 -0600 Subject: Morels found in Colorado. Western Slope Colorado, May 1, 2003: Found close to two dozen after work. This is the first time I've found morels here in Colorado since I moved out here in '97. They were all grays/yellows, with one black morel thrown in for good measure. Most of them were in good shape, with just a couple being a bit on the dry side. Sorry I can't be more specific on location! Good morel spots seem to be few and far between here, and it's taken me 6 years to find this one, but I wanted folks to know that they're out there. Greg
Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 15:28:19 -0600. Subject: Re: Sightings - 2003, Colorado. Hi Tom, Just a quick note - I really appreciate your site. It helps me to keep track of the season and it is interesting to watch how different weather patterns affect fruiting. Thanks for hosting it! Here is an update on Morel fruiting in the Denver and Mountain Area of Colorado. It has been an odd season, good mixed with bad. My peak findings for Yellow Morels was about ten days ago (May 1st) and I collected well over 120 in two days. This came from my best areas in Boulder near running creeks. The yellows this year seemed more sensitive to micro environments. In areas where I found them, I found large numbers, but in other areas that were productive in previous years I did not find any. Usually, I cover a large area and find many small groups of two and three yellow morels in between occasional large clusters. This year, the small groups did not show. When I found one morel, there were usually at least a dozen nearby. In one case, Norm Birchler (Editor of CMS SporesAfield) and I collected over 80 in an area not larger than 12 ft X 25 ft. and then found nothing more the rest of the afternoon. These morel 'zones' were further apart from each other than in previous years and most were in flood plains.. While I do understand morel environment in Colorado, I do not know very much about the morel fungi itself. My personal 'theory' is that the drought last year killed off many of the smaller 'plants'. The larger ones that survived, produced fruit in large numbers due to stored energy from not fruiting last year. I have no idea if there is any scientific merit in this theory, but it does seem to match my findings. On Thursday, (May 8th) I returned to my good areas to see if I (and other hunters who have seen me hunting in the area - sigh!) had missed any. I took a long and very slow hunt and came up with a little more than a dozen very large yellows, several about the size of baseballs and all in zones where I had previously found Yellows. My previous experience has been that these big ones are the very last of the Yellow season and always after finding the big one the Yellows 'run-out' in about 4 to five days. So I'm pretty sure the Yellow season is just about over in Colorado. I am curious to see how the Blacks will produce. Usually, I start finding them in the foothills within about 5 days after the big yellows show up. Last year the foothills did not produce, but the mountains did produce just a little less than previous years, even though rain was almost non-existent. Snow melt must have kept soils wet enough for the higher elevations to produce. I wonder if we will see the same pattern as the lowlands where fewer plants produce large numbers, or if all plants will produce well. I only have a coupe of foothill 'spots' so it will be interesting to see what happens. I will update this web-site when I start finding Blacks in the mountains and will also send in an 'end of morel season' summary. William N. W.
Date: Thu, 22 May 2003 17:49:33 -0400. Subject: one more batch. Colorado May 21st. Squeezed one more batch of seven 3"- 4" yellows from my patch in S Boulder. It's a record for me for this late in the season -I've been to that spot 6 times and gotten a few lbs each time. Enough to share with morel virgins and brag to jealous fellow ex-midwesterners! Now to see what this burn area morel stuff is all about, lol! See you next year folks! John C.
Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 18:30:06 -0700. Subject: COLORADO MOREL SIGHTINGS. May 28, 2003 - Just had our first experience with morel hunting in , Southwest Colorado, outside Lake Vallecito near the burn area. My husband and I gathered at least 20 lbs. of fresh morels - they were in specific spots under aspens. We were blessed to find them! I made a linguini with alfredo sauce recipe I had brought with me to our Mountain home - It was the best I ever had! I think we're hooked on schrooming! Nancy W.
Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 08:30:51 -0600. Subject: Colorado Morel Sightings. We are now chasing Black Morels in the mountains. Following the yellows in the 'low-lands' of Boulder, Black Morels started showing up at the 7,000 ft level in mid-May. By may 24th they were fruiting at 8,000 ft. and yesterday, June 7th I was finding Black Morels at 9,000 ft. Look for them in Aspen Stands mixed with Pine. Flat spots are better than hill-sides although I have been finding them on both. I have noticed that once they fruit, they are not lasting very long this season. In the past, I was able to hunt the same area for Black morels for about ten days. This year, most are gone by 7 days, so if your finding them, work the area well. Happy hunting and good eating to all! William N. W.
Connecticut:
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 21:21:16 -0400. Subject: First one in Connecticut. Hi there, I went out yesterday, April 24 2003 11:00 AM at Putnam Memorial State Park and found 1st black morel only 1 1/2 inch tall. The weather is still cold for this time of the year so should be better time next week. Happy Mushrooming. Vladimir, Milford,CT
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 08:50:01 EDT. Subject: They're here in CT! Two days of rain and somewhat warmer nights have brought a fine flush of pristine grays in the moss under the old apple tree in the backyard. I live on the Connecticur River about 1/2way between Hartford and Old Saybrook. Not many people here even know what a morel looks like....More for the rest of us, I suppose...Now for the first mushroom omelet of the season. Happy hunting! Heathertee2002
From: Mark Y. Date: Fri, 16 May 2003. Subject: morel sighting. I sighted my first morel (very blonde) in Westport Connecticut on Monday 5/12, I only found two about 2.5 inches tall. I waited two days to pick them hoping they'd grow but didn't. I put them in the Frig till today (Thursday) they got a little light brown but not black. So, are these Yellow morels or immature Black?
From: Merle S. K. Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 16:21:29 -0400. Subject: Morels. It seems we have them in NW Connecticut!
England:
Florida: No reports yet.
Georgia:
Thurs, March 13, 2003. I went out here in mid Georgia today hunting, if black Morels grew here, they would be up, as redbuds in bloom, bloodroot, even a few purple Trilliums are opening up, but no luck yet. I have only found Gray or Yellow Morels here in Central Georgia. The farthest south I have found Black Morels was in Red Top Mountain State Park, north of Atlanta. From Chris M. Note: Chris Matherly runs the http://www.morelmushroomhunting.com/ web site
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 21:53:09 EST. Georgia. Tom, if you want to add to the Georgia finds, I found 10 esculentas yesterday under Poplar trees in lowlands. I went back out today and was skunked though! But at least I have a taste! Chris M
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 11:37:58 -0400. Subject: Georgia Morels. Hello Tom, It has been a while since I wrote. I am Jody M, formally of Newport News, VA. I posted several sightings back in 2000 and 2001. Since then I went to Korea for a year and a half. Now I am back in the states stationed in Georgia. I need some help finding the elusive Morels. I looked at the Georgia sightings and looks like only one person posted anything yet (Chris M). Anyway, I need to know if the season is finished here in Middle Georgia (Macon) or if I still have a chance. I have looked a few places, but no luck. I usually look for May Apple's first, then I know the Morels are up, but I can't even find them. Please help. My mouth is watering. Jody M. Hi Jody, Welcome home. I suggest you contact Chris M. at the link above. He may be able to help.
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 19:52:38 -0400. Subject: Georgia Morels. Well Tom it looks like I found some finally. I was begining to give up hope. I found 21 black ones near poplar trees. Looks like they had been waiting on me for a day or so, but they are still going to taste good. Thanks for hooking me up with Chris M. He helped out a lot and we are going together this Saturday. Can't wait. Jody. Hi Jody, I seem to remember you helping Clay and others a couple of years ago in VA. Even passing on your best spot to them. It's nice to know that what goes around comes around in the positive sense also. I'm glad Chris M. was able to help.
Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 22:50:03 -0500. Subject: Georgia Morels. Hey, Found 37 Georgia morels under ash and poplar trees with black soil. Check out the pics. Tony B.
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003. Subject: GA morels. Tom, just wanted to let you know that I hooked up with Jody, and we went out today and found 22 small yellow morels and 2 black morels just north of Macon, Georgia. Hard to believe that black morels have been found so far into the deep south!
Chris Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003. Subject: Mushrooms mushrooms. We found three tonite in the apple orchard where they were last year. Cold spell and work kept us from looking over the weeend, but will go out tomorrow afternoon. Will let you know what we find. Chris and Judy
From: Jody. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003. Subject: Georgia. Looks like Clay in Virginia is hitting that spot again. Well, I went out Sunday withe Chris M of Georgia and we gathered 27. 2 blacks and 25 yellows, all growing within a 200 ft. area. I'll be checking again this weekend.
From: Chris M. Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 21:39:19 EST. Subject: motherload in GA. Tom, I had to let you know that I discovered a true motherload here in the deep south! Roger R. was turkey hunting and stumbled across what he thought may be Morels. He invited me to come see, I went prepared with video and digital cameras. It was amazing! 158 large yellow Morels 5-8" tall, 25 pounds! Jasper County, GA.-Chris M. All I can say is "WOW!" I would never have expected to see such a picture from Georgia. For those who don't have an Atlas, Jasper County is approximately 100 miles SE of Atlanta,GA and contains part of the Oconee National Forest. I mention this because it is legal to harvest mushrooms in National Forests. Congrats to Roger & Chris.
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 23:15:56 -0500. Subject: Georgia Morels. Found another 50 morels today in Hall county Georgia. Found all in flat lowlands under poplar and ash. I'm very excited about finding morels in Georgia. I have been hunting here for a couple of years with good luck. Will be heading to Ohio in the next two weeks. Great pics from Chris M. Tony B.
Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 09:52:41 -0400. Subject: April 5 finds. Hi! I've never had a lot of luck hunting morels in my area of Georgia (Stone Mountain, east of Atlanta) but this year up at my soon-to-be new home in North GA (Jasper/Ellijay area) I found a nice little haul of good sized (and tasty!) blacks on Saturday April 5. My property is on top of a mountain (at around 2000 feet above sea level) and I found them on the north face among a stand of tree fall I think was mostly poplar and elm. The first picture of them is a view from the deck of my house on the mountain. Susan S.
Hawaii:
Idaho:
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 20:53:08 EST. Subject: morel -- north idaho. yes-yes-early first morels found in the great silver valley--north idaho--off of i-90-between lookout pass @ fourth of july pass i have the feeling it's going to be a great yr. your morel hunting pard, bo
From: Conrad V. Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 12:59:34 -0700. Subject: North Idaho Morels. A little late reporting - found 6 morels in Clark Fork, Idaho (way up north) April 9th. And still finding 'em
From: Michelle. Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Idaho. Saturday, April 19th: North Idaho - Rathdrum area. Found 2 dozen, good size. But only on west facing hills. Couldn't find any on any other hills. We left lots of babies behind for later. Thanks!
From: Michelle H. Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. Subject: report. Idaho. North Idaho April 22, 2003. 3-4 pounds, all yellows near Canfield Mountain Coeur d' Alene, all on west facing slopes
From: Addie C. Date: Fri, 16 May 2003. Subject: morel findings. Two pounds of freshies in less than two hours on south facing hills in Vassar Meadows North Idaho. Found a cluster of eight 2-4 inchers...sweet! May 15th, 2003 Best birthday present reliably for three years.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Illinois:
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 10:40:29 -0600. Subject: First morel...again. Tom, Here's a digital photo of my first Illinois morel of 2003, found March 19 in Williamson County, about 50 miles north of the southern tip of Illinois. As you can see (with some difficulty), the morel is so ridiculously tiny it begs the question: "What constitutes a legitimate morel mushroom?" Yes, that tiny blob perched atop the crumb of soil is a morel. Or it will be anyway. Measuring just 3 millimeters, it's the smallest morel I've ever seen in the wild. Twenty of them would fit inside a thimble. Here's where the legitimacy of proclaiming "morels are up!" becomes an issue. For some of us restless, sleepless types, it isn't enough to wait until morels are actually visible above the leaf litter before we head into the woods. As the late snows finally melt and buds on trees begin to split open and vegetation begins to crawl out of winter, we just KNOW there must be tiny morels out there, almost ready to poke above the forest floor. And so we do something, well, something immorel--pun intended. We tip-toe toward a place where our beloved mushrooms will eventually grow , crouch down, then resort to the ultimate picker's crime: brushing aside a few leaves. That's the story behind this year's first morel; I cheated. I admit it. And I don't claim that this report represents the first morel in existence in Illinois. This happened to be the first one I saw after brushing aside a few handfuls of leaves. What it tells me is this: Morels are developing as fruiting bodies right now (putting to rest my annual winter fears), and within days I'll be able to legitimately harvest enough for a meal. I'll leave it at that. Joe M. Congratulations Joe! Vicky says, "you're terrible", but I understand. And, I've seen her harvest a few wee ones also.
From: "Mikey". Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 08:26:52 -0600. I found my first morel of the year on 03/23/03 A black/brown morel. I live in elizabethtown IL. but I found it at Cave In Rock IL. about 13 miles from Elizabethtown IL. only found one though. in pine needles, Real small about 2" tall
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 11:29:59 -0800 (PST). Subject: 1st morel of 2003. Here is a picture of my first black morel of 2003.For any of you non-believers out there I took the photo with a 2003 Illinois quarter. It was found Mar. 26 in Fayette county,Il. BARTMAN
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 10:01:35 -0600. Subject: A few small blacks... Tom, Here's a note to follow-up on the progress of the season in southern Illinois as of March 28. I returned to the spot in Williamson County where I found my first morel March 19 (that minuscule speck I photographed next to my business card) and found two small black morels poking above the leaf litter this time. Both were a mere 1 inch tall, yet they were actually visible--no digging under the leaves this time. This find corresponds with the March 24 report from "Mikey" in Elizabethtown (roughly 50 miles south and east of Williamson County). The small morel he located a few days earlier seems to resemble the size of the morels I found a bit farther north on March 28. We're finding the first few loners, so to speak, that always pop up a bit earlier than the rest of the crop. At this point, there's still no urgent need for anyone in Illinois to race out into the woods to find morels. Sure, folks in southern Illinois will be able to scrounge up a few morels during the next few days. But I doubt there is a site anywhere in our region that could somehow, magically produce a basket full of big morels right now. The red bud trees are just beginning to show a bit of burgandy-colored haze on a few trees. I saw the first May apple plants emerging as cone-shaped umbrellas from the forest floor a few days ago. Serviceberry is suddenly in bloom. Those three indicators, among many others, tend to correspond with the occurrence of the first black morels of the season in southern Illinois. Keeping notes every year has been a tremendous benefit. I did locate a few fresh, young false morels in Jackson County on March 24. (There are a number of species we commonly describe as "false morels." These were Gyromitra fastigiata.) If I were to pull out a crystal ball and predict when morel hunters ought to head into the woods of southern Illinois with expectations of actually finding enough morels for a meal, I'd guess that time will come in about one week. Joe M.
From: ".monte J. Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 11:15:49 -0600. Subject: sightings. I found my first 5 black morels of the year on 3-27-03. They were 3/4" to 2" tall growing on a south facing slope in Jackson County, Il.
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003. Subject: 16 small blacks. Found 16 small blacks today in Rosiclare, Ill. All were through the leaves, no brushing leaves back. All were approx. 2" tall. Should be better next weekend for sure! Brenda and David
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003. Subject: followup. I returned to the spot where I found my first black on march 26. Despite the last couple nights of cold weather - upper 30's, I found 8 more yesterday,3-30.they were smaller than the first one,from the dropping temperature I assume.One more week @ I'll be eatin' good! BARTMAN
From: monte. Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003. I found 11 more small blacks on a South slope on 3-30-03. The woods still don't look ready. Give it 2 or 3 warm days and nights in a row and we'll get some in numbers.
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 21:47:09 -0600. Subject: illinois morels found. Hi Tom, Michael Kuo and I found approximately 30 small blacks 1-3 inches high this morning (April 1st) in Shelby County, Illinois. I'm looking forward to meeting you in Magnolia. Unfortnately, I won't get to go on the hunt because I'll be gathering samples from hunt participants for our Morel Data Collection Project. I'll be one jealous old man, to be sure, but it will be a pleasure to see what everyone finds. Best, Bob Zordani
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 10:59:15 -0600. Subject: southern Illinois update. It's time for everyone who knows where to find black morels in southern Illinois to go out and at least glance at those potential sites. Right now, the early patches of black morels are ready for picking in the southern part of the state. But, bear in mind, they're not up everywhere yet. Don't be disappointed if you get skunked at a place you expected to find black morels. Wait several days, then give it another shot. On April 1 I found 69 blacks in Jackson County on a south-facing hillside in a mixed hardwood spot that always produces morels a bit earlier than other sites. As example, a site just a couple of hundred yards away (coincidentally, also on a south-facing slope) hasn't produced a single morel yet, although that spot always produces hundreds of black morels every spring, typically a week or more after the first site has matured and started to deteriorate. The condition of the morels April 1 was excellent. Sizes ranged from 2-5 inches tall, with all of them fresh and, of course, delicious. Joe M.
Wed, 2 Apr 2003 20:52:57 EST. Subject: sightings. Date: 4/ 2/ 2003 Destiny in Bond County, IL found 5 Baby greys the size of your pinky fingernail. Good luck shroomers!!!!
Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 16:36:30 -0500. Subject: shrooms. 70 small grays and 4 half frees today in Fairview Heights, Illinois. I've attached a pic of one in my yard. Larry
From: Dianadiana. Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 21:06:39 EDT. Subject: morels in madison. 7April, I found twenty grey mushrooms about 2" tall today in Woodriver , Madison county. can't wait until tomorrow.
From: Vicki. Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003. Subject: Found 2-IL. I found 2 morels on April 7, 2003.
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003. Subject: 1st Morels April 8th. Found my 1st of the year, 11 in about an hour on Apr 8. New Athens, St. Clair Co. Illinois. Bob
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Subject: Morel Sightings. Leonard, Frog, Rat and I (Sis) went chasing morels in Jackson Co.IL. on April 5th. We caught 138 black morels on southeast facing slopes on wild cherry and white ash trees. Mayapples were 10" tall, lilac bushes were budded but not open. Bloodroot, dandelions, violets, cranesbill and ground ivy were all bloomed. That evening we roadtripped to Perry Co. but its still to early there . I guess a few miles makes a big difference. Anyway we have pictures to prove we found em, which will be on our morel museum boards. Anyone with articles or pictures can bring them to Jonesboro's Mid America hunt(April 19th&20th) or Magnolias Illinois State Hunt( May3rd) or Babes Tap Humungus Fungus Festival in Coal City (May 10th) or Boyne Citys National Hunt (May17th). And we will put them in the Morel Museum. Remember to always carry a mesh bag and always get permission to hunt on private land. See ya soon. The Hillbilly Gustaupo
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 21:27:07 -0500. Subject: morels. My first 5 black morels this year. Fox Ridge State Park, Coles County, near Charleston, Illinois. 5:30 pm, April 10. >From 1 3/4 inches to 2 1/2 inches tall. After five days of very cold weather, I was surprised. Jimmy D. Hi Jimmy, Congratulations, but, be careful in State Parks. You may want to read the reply to Porter below.
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 08:44:51 -0500. Subject: Hunting morels. Tom, Can you suggest any good areas to look for morels in Kane and surrounding counties in Illinois? Porter R. Thanks. Hi Porter, One of the problems with living in Illinois is that it is illegal to hunt mushrooms in state parks or forest preserves. Many people do it anyway and many rangers turn their head. Surrounding states such as: IA, WI, IN, and MI do allow the harvest (not commercially) of fruits, nuts, and mushrooms. There is a bill in either the Illinois House or Senate to change the law, but I haven't heard of its passage yet. So, if you don't have access and permission to search on private land, be discreet or head north to Wisconsin. You may also want to read the reply to Don below. Tom.
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 09:24:34 -0500. Subject: lost. Tom i live in park forest ill I have going to the morel hunts in magnolia for the last 7 years and have been hunting the little critters for about 45 years . it seems i just can't find them like i use to. sure could use your help. Don, thanks. Hi Don,
One of the problems with the modern day is urbanization. Countless people have told me that their former honey holes are now subdivisions. Not just around Chicago, but even some of the smaller cities too. The only thing I can suggest is head further out into the rural areas. And, get permission.
One of the problems in getting permission is with the legal system. People file lawsuits over the smallest things. This makes landowners wary of giving permission to anyone for access to their land.
I'm not a lawyer, but, as I understand it, in Illinois there are three levels of liability that a landowner has. The first and greatest is when the landowner charges someone to use their property. The example would be a hunting lodge that charges for use of the land for hunting purposes.
The second level of liability is when the landowner allows someone to use their land. They are still liable for accidents and injuries, but not to the same degree.
The third degree of liability is when someone uses the land without permission as in trespassing. Believe it or not, the landowner is still somewhat liable, to a lesser degree, but he or she can still be sued. The lawyer's fees alone, even if the landowner successfully wins the the suit can cause any landowner to think twice about giving permission. And because they can even be sued by trespassers, many don't think twice about prosecuting them.
My father had nine children and over 30 grandchildren. And, we all love mushrooms. He purchased 40 acres of wooded land specifically for the family to hunt mushrooms on. A state highway runs right through the middle of the 40 acres. I don't know why, but hundreds of people thought no one would mind if they stopped to hunt mushrooms there. Rarely was there enough mushrooms to share amongst the family, there certainly wasn't enough to share with the public. He didn't think twice about prosecuting anyone he found on the land. And, with the price of mushrooms being what it is, he viewed it as theft. The courts agreed and the fine is approximately $250 for criminal trespass!
We've heard the excuse, "I didn't see any NO TRESPASSING signs, so I thought it would be okay". When we point out the obvious sign, usually less than 50 feet from where the trespasser's car is parked, the reply is "Oh, I didn't see it". In Illinois, the landowner doesn't need to post signs on the property. It is up to the individual on the land to know who the landowner is and have permission.
As mean and ornery as Dad was when it came to trespassers, I did witness him give permission to one person to hunt mushrooms on his land. That person was the one (and only) person to ever have the courtesy to stop and ask for permission!
Often when someone is taken to a piece of property with permission, it then (in the guest's mind) becomes the guest's private spot. The following year, he brings someone new, who later brings someone else. Pretty soon there are ten people who think they have permission when the landowner has given permission to only one person.
Another rule we live by is to share the bounty with the landowner. We always offer them half of what we find. We've never been told not to come back.
Back to your original question about there being fewer mushrooms. The use of mesh bags such as our Shroom Sack or Larry Lonik's Spore Boy is a relatively recent practice. For years mushroom hunters have been using plastic or paper bags to gather mushrooms. They've also been gathering the spores and taking them home to either rinse down the drain or discard in the garbage. It makes much more sense to leave the spore in the woods to perpetuate the patch. So, while past areas are diminished, maybe by using mesh bags, we're creating new ones.
Another reason you're not finding as many as you used to is that 40 to 50 years ago the Dutch Elm Disease made its appearance. With all the elms dying, morel hunters had a field day (for several years). We may never see harvests such as then again.
Sorry for the lenghthy disertation, but it's important information and hope this helps, Tom
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 18:09:48 -0700 (PDT). Subject: Greys are up ? Hey Tom, Here is a photo of some small greys I found today in fayette co. Season is moving on well here, I found 164 blacks also today. Some of them were showing a little age- TO MY SURPRISE!! Good luck everybody!!!! BARTMAN
From: Tntscan. Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 00:38:23 EDT. Subject: where to hunt. i live in marion ill.which is in williamson county. i'm new to the area and have no idea where to hunt. i love morels and have missed 2 years of them.if someone knows where to hunt them here please let me know. went out today and found none. really desperate to find some.
04/14/03 Phone report: Mike H. of Kickapoo, IL phoned to say that he and the boys found some small greys in Peoria County today.
From: SFR. Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 22:18:39 EDT. Subject: Fayette Co., Otego Twp. found 6 small blacks on Thurs. & 4 brand new whites on Fri. Walked 2 1/2 hrs both days. Plenty of warm weather. Need rain. Could be a great season.
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 23:30:43 EDT. Subject: Illinois Sighting. Neil and Craig from Athens, IL in Menard county have found our 1st grey's of the year. The "May-Apple" theory has seemed to apply so far in helping us locate the shrooms. We found over a dozen today and marked a few other patches where we spied some the size of thumbnails. As long as no poachers come by, we'll be alright. For now we've at least got enough for a taste. Supposed to be 85 degrees tomorrow -- look out, they're going to be popping all over the place...
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 21:13:18 -0500. Subject: sighting. Went out on Monday and found 30 greys!!! Will be sending plenty more sightings within the next few weeks. Big Sal and CL. Edwardsville, IL
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 11:35:26 -0500. Subject: Springin' Up. Hey all, I found 87 on the 9th and 75 on the 10th. St. Clair Co. The 75 were a new patch I found, always cool. Still seems early as it is a long walk between findings. Bob R.
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 11:27:08 -0500. Subject: morels. April 15, 2004. Been finding 15 to 25 grays every outing till today. Im hunting in perry co. Il. need a good rain to really turn them on here. Looks like wed. will be the day of rain so good friday indeed will be a good friday. Good luck to all. Morelhunter18
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 08:22:30 -0500. Subject: Found the first "small" gray morel! Hi to all the dedicated shroomers from Richland County, IL.. This year has been an unusual hunting experience. Usually our family woods can be predicted from the first black morel then the peckerheads,whites next and finally the gray morels. Unless the deer have learned to tip toe I am finding the last expected shroom, first! I really enjoyed this mushroom sight. Good luck to everyone. K.L.
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 13:10:27 -0500. Morel Sighting. Found twenty morels near Belleville, Illinois, Wednesday, April 15, 2003. Conditions are very warm and dry, but rain is predicted for today and for tomorrow. Mike
From: Sally. Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Subject: Hello from Kickapoo. Mike wanted to say HI! and confirm the Morel Mania date. We are hoping to come up for the day. No First Communion's this year. I see that you logged in Mike and the boys' sighting in Peoria County. I witness the event and it was very special. Mike (of course) saw the first one, then Josh (10) saw his own grey one, and then Matt (7) saw his very own tiny one. All three guys (in a matter of seconds) found their own morel. I guess it is true that the acorn doesn't fall far from the oak tree (or should we say fungi spores don't drift to far from the morel).
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Subject: Annual Southern Illinois Morel Hunt April 12-16th. This was the best year ever!!! Almost all old wives tales were found true - we found them on ridges & on bottoms, under elms, ashes, sycamores and dead trees. Oaks were just starting to leaf out and may apples were up and blooming. We probably picked about 700-800 mushrooms, easily over 15 pounds! We found all species of morels - half frees, blacks, little deliciosas, big grays and yellows. Blacks were everywhere we looked including places we regularly hunt and have never found them before. We did most of our hunting in Union and Jackson Counties but did get some in Perry County, too. The only old wives tale that we did not find to be true was that you need rain to find morels - we found fresh ones everyday everywhere we looked and it bone dry, high-fire risk dry in Southern Illinois right now. The region desperately needs rain but so does Chicago, so don't believe that rain absolutely has to happen for morels to be there in any numbers. My husband built portable drying racks for our trip and they were on the driveway when I got home to pack up! They worked just great, so most of our beauties were already dried and ready for storage by the time we got home (He had a big bow on those racks and I ran in the house to tell him how much I loved him when I saw them there! He is a keeper, for sure;). On a much sadder note, we both were heartbroken to read about Larry Lonik this morning. We met Larry at Trail of Tears Lodge and hunted with him for a couple of days after the Morel Heaven Weekend that year. Every time we saw him afterwards, he was so genuinely happy to see us and was just an absolute dear person, truly one of those characters that God broke the mold for afterwards (ya'll know the type, everybody is blessed to have a few in their lives). Larry taught us a lot about mushroom hunting and we never would have come home with this many 'shrooms without his valuable insight nor would we ever continue to find new places to hunt without his wisdom imparted. My husband and I will miss him greatly and we will always keep on hunting with Larry in our hearts and his wisdom on our fingertips. Still looking forward to the Northern Illinois season, just with some teary eyes and heavier hearts.....Mama Doe and Unkle Korpse
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Subject: MORELS!!! Today the 17th of April my husband and myself went out to our favorite hunting grounds we found 153 total in less than 2 hours.My husband being the awesome hunter he is found 112 of them they were everywhere!!!!!smallest being 1/8" upto 4" all greys Montgomery county,Illinois.Can hardly wait until tomorrow.Happy Hunting Randy and Marsha
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Subject: morels found. 4-17-03 We found 6 small greys today. We need some heat to get them to really pop! We found them in Iroquois County 6 miles from Indiana state line. See ya in Magnolia for the big hunt! The Pentecosts
From: Barry. Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Subject: Morels near Pinckneyville. My son and I found about 100 greys and yellows. We may have been a day or two early though. We got a decent amount of rain on Wednesday, so if we get some warm weather, they SHOULD be everywhere. One thing I've noticed about the 'shrooms in Pinckneyville. They are loaded with microscopic bugs! They are a pain in the butt to clean! Looking forward to a big weekend!
From: Michael. Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002. Subject: grey morels. greetings from Springfield, Ill.! I found my first greys yesterday. 27, to be exact. They were VERY small. The rain was a good thing. Hope it gives them some added size in the next few days.
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003. Subject: Mushroom, one. Regrets to Larry's family!! Such a sad day! First mushroom found by our group. Peoria County, One little guy, less than an inch. We found it in a new spot by an old apple tree. Usually our first found are by elms. Quite the surprise, happy hunting. The season has begun! TRES
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003. Subject: Morel Report. Hello, just reporting that I found my first 109 Morel's of the season in 2 hours yesterday the 18th... In Madison county IL in Edwardsville.. Mostly greys, but a few nice blacks in the mix. Looks like weather is gonna be great this weekend, good luck fellow hunters!! Later, Aaron
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003. Subject: Found 26 small little grey Morels. Just wanted to report that we found 26 small little grey morels in Tazewell County, Illinois 4/19/03. We found them mostly on the South sides of trees in moss area. Largest measured 2 inches, smallest 1/2 inch. Were very hard to find. Brad.
From: Chris. Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: IL Sighting. Went out and found 43 greys and yellows on Friday. We went back out on Saturday and found blacks, greys, and a yellow. The total came to 125 on Saturday. I have enclosed a picture of Saturday's find. Big Sal, Fat, and Yellow Smelly. Mattoon, IL
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: Liability and Illinois Landowners. First let me express my deepest sympathy. I was fortunate enough to have shared a couple of pops with Tree a few years back in Magnolia. Such a fine and knowledgable man he was. He will be greatly missed, but the legacy he leaves towers over even his own physical stature. Disclaimer: I am not an attorney (nor do i appreciate many). Fact is, if a landowner allows you to enter his property for recreational purposes, the duty of care owed to you is no more than that owed to a tresspasser. Check it out: http://dnr.state.il.us/Law3/laws4landowners.htm The DNR will mail you a small pamphlet which can explain the Act to landowners(an extremely valuable tool in my experience)-the address is at the bottom of the linked page. No morels up this way yet, but i think i smell one... Bugs, Kane County
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: Re: The Mushroom Man. Reading my e-mail Sunday night. Really a shocker! Sent Maggie Rogers a short informational message. She and I would appreciate any additional information. I'm heading for the woods. Gray esculenta are fruiting around some elms and ash in central Illinois. Got about 2.5 lbs yesterday. Darrell
From: rburton1586 Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003. Subject: morels in cass county. Hey Tom......Found about 48 today (4-20) in cass county Illinois. Mostly grey....but a few yellows. Nice mess for first outing!! I'm sure I'll pick 'em by the pound by weeks end !!!!! Good luck shroomrs!
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: Morel hunting. Great day for mushroom hunting yesterday 21 April, 2003 in Eastern Shelby county. The weather was overcast and cool, nevertheless a friend and myself hauled in a 4 gallons of good size greys and yellows in about 3 hours. We noticed that a few had started to dry up in the tops. All in all it was a great hunt!!! John Christian Co. IL
Firebirdlvr. Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: morels. In Washington, IL , I found about 20-30 small greys yesterday (4/21/03). it was cold, with scattered rain and windy, but worthwhile. also 2-( one inch) yellows. Happy hunting :)
Josh found 12 little morels on Monday the 21st in central Illinois.
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: McHenry County Illinois. I live in McHenry County, Illinois, and was wondering if anyone hunts Morels around here. My dad is from southern Indiana, and I was first introduced to morels when I was a child hunting them in Terre Haute, Indiana. I still go there to visit my aunt around Easter every year, and get a taste for the hunt then, (she lives in the woods which has very good isolated spots). I've lived near Chicago all my life and have yet to meet anyone who's ever hunted a morel around this area. Do they exist around here? Please help me out, is there any info about this, and when they begin to sprout. Thanks, David C
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: A big haul. Tom, My regrets for not meeting up with you during the Trail of Tears festival April 19. I know I said I'd be there, but I do have a good excuse for giving you the slip. I personally picked over 1,000 morels in Jackson County that day, not including the morels I graciously allowed a couple of guests to haul out of the woods after they tagged along with me. (People think I never share my hotspots; but I do make exceptions.) I was exhausted by day's end and decided I shouldn't drive the 25 miles to Jonesboro. I figured you'd understand. It had truly been a fine day of picking, but tiresome as well. Collecting all of those morels on hands and knees all day, rising up and down too many times--as if I had wandered into a mercilessly long Catholic mass--actually became grueling work. Nonetheless, it's pretty good work, if you can get it. And I suppose more than a few readers would be willing to suffer the deeply euphoric fatigue one gets after picking so many morels in one day. In fact, I shook off my aches and returned for another round of picking on the following afternoon. By the end of that second day, with my head swimming as I staggered out of the woods, I uttered the unthinkable: "I don't ever want to see another morel," I whispered hoarsely as the sun set on Easter Sunday. "No more." I was back to my senses the next day. Nearly all of the morels collected April 19 and 20 were the petite Morchella deliciosa variety, although there were also a smattering of M. esculentas and a couple of dozen blacks on the hillsides. The season for black morels is basically finished in southern Illinois, depending on what you're willing to eat. Most of the specimens of that species are crumbly and water-logged now. But a few late-bloomers still are worth collecting and actually look fine. The condition of the M. deliciosas, on the other hand, was prime overall. Firm stems. Fresh. But, based on experience, a few warm days can reverse that appraisal. If anyone in southern Illinois hasn't looked for morels yet this season, they'd better hurry. Or move north. See you in Magnolia May 3. Joe M.
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: morels in ramsey. hi its brandon from marseilles il its so dry here its worse than ever will it rain and warm up? if not there wont be any shrooms to pick up here. lets hope it rains alot. i had to drive south 3 hours to vandalia to my friends last weekend to find a couple dozen. still a little early down there. good luck!
From: Linda R. Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: First Sightings. Today in Quincy IL, I found 35 gray mushrooms around an oak tree. Looks like a good season so far, I hope I have a better day tomorrow.
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. Subject: morel,S Grafton IL. Four of us went hunting last Friday and Saturday on the river near the Wild Goose. We found a over a hundred Pounds. I know it sounds like BS,but it has been documented and will be in the local paper. Pictured Left to Right AJ ,Garry R ,Bob and Sharon B . Jonboat
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. Subject: findings Illinois. April 22 - found a few yellows and a half-cap near Edwardsville, IL; they were somewhat old (two to four days). Hopefully, more will follow with some warm weather. Have heard that near Carlinville, IL, many, many large ones have been found in the last couple of days. Ross
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. Subject: mushrooms. J and C want to report finding some small greys and a few larger yellows south of Havana on April 23, 2003. The poison ivy is not very big yet, but the ticks are plentiful. Insect repellent doesn't faze them.
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. Subject: Greys. I found my first greys yesterday. Whoohoo! You know what I'll be doing in the next month or so!!!! 11 of them within 1hr. about 6:30pm. It was in McLean county. from Bloomington! Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. Subject: morel finds. 8 #s today 7#s yesterday greys but mostly yellows. some growing six connected it`s beautiful out there---grasslands under elm, syramore, oak and ash---and especially near streams. Alton, Ill Morelli Nellie and Keith
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 08:08:24 EDT. Subject: DewittMushrooms. Sorry to hear of Larry's passing. Did have the opportunity to meet him a few years back. My prayers to his family and friends.. Found 80 greys (4/20) Easter morning In Dewitt County. Size ranged from very small up to 3 inches.. Love your site. Bryan - Bloomington
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 15:46:50 -0500. Subject: Morel Sighting. Found three yellow morels about two inches each widely separated from each other under a dead elm on a southeast facing slope near the Kankakee river at the southern tip of Will county in Illinois.
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 07:57:20 EDT. Subject: 4/25/03 Spring Valley Il. Finally after 10 days of looking we found the little guys barely poking their heads out of the moss on a west slope of a ravine. Left them to grow and be biggies. Really need rain bad it very dry everywhere we checked. From Bub,Stumpy and the Midget
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 05:50:47 -0400. Subject: sighting in grundy co. Found approx. 3 doz. Small grays Wednesday (April 23rd). the biggest being around 2 ". woods are extremely dry, practically "kicking up dust" while walking through. We need rain bad!! Wonder if I beat Rat in finding the first ones up here this year? Good luck all. Brian K.
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 08:31:24 -0500 (CDT). Subject: Illinois Sighting. Went out on Saturday, April 26, with 10 other members of the Illinois Mycological Association for a foray in Will County Illinois. The grays were just starting, and we picked about 75 small ones. Rain is definitely needed here. Lots of Verpa conica, too. John D.
Hi Tom, I just got home from one of my daily jaunts this time of year, found about 2 1/2 #. I was surprised to find a few black shrooms in this patch ,this late. I have never hunted the fall morels, but I do have a friend who fall turkey hunts who has found them. I have known him most all my life and he has never told me any thing but the truth. Tony is my best friend and has turkey hunted spring and fall for around 20 years in IL. and surrounding states. I know he has told me of at least one spot in Shawnee Forest that he has found them. If it is OK with Tony, and you if you would like, I will put you directly in touch with him. I will call him this weekend and get his thoughts on the matter. James C.
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 21:24:49 -0500. Subject: marseilles, il. From: Mater1. Sunday April 27 Marseilles, IL. Found my first morels today along the I-M Canal...not many, but it's a start. Timber is real dry.
From: MICHAEL D M. Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 22:14:47 -0500. greetings from SPRINGFIELD, IL Yesterday (26th) picked POUNDS of morels. Everyone was out, but they were very easy to find. Greys and yellows, and all good size. Today (27th) the woods seemed mostly picked over. Did not find that many. Does anyone know, is this the last weekend for morels in our area? Do we have to head up north now? You'll have to check with two people - Mother Nature and Father Time. It all depends on the combination of moisture and heat.
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003. Subject: Illinois morels. These (and a lot more) were found April 26 in Morgan Co. Also found a similar mess in Macoupin Co. on April 23. Thanks, Robert
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 09:13:08 -0700 (PDT). Subject: Great Year in Fayette County. Hey Tom, It has been a fantastic year for those of us here in Fayette Co. Il..I have spent the majority of the last two weeks picking & cleaning (not to mention freezing!!!) morels.I made two trips to the same timber last week on back to back days (since it got dark on me the first day) I found six pounds of yellows the first day and returned to pick another sixteen+ pounds the second.It seems this year is one of those years that I have more places to hunt than I have time! Not a bad problem to have I guess! I have had a hard time finding the free time to even sit down long enough to get an e-mail out, so while I'm here I want to thank you and all those who participate in putting together, maintaining, and supporting the use of this page,as it is a valued asset to those of us who truely enjoy this sport.I'm sending a photo of the most perfect find I have made in several years,these morels were so fresh they were still colorless when I picked them.Thanks again Tom. BARTMAN
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 11:58:35 -0500. Subject: sightings. Illinois - found a good number of fresh, yellow morels, some large, near Godfrey, on 4/26/03. Maybe the season is not over yet! - Ross
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003. Subject: EXCELLENT DAY FOR SHROONIN. Saturday the 26th was one of those memorable hunting days. Started out kinda slow but at the end we were walking out with about 250 good size yellows and some smaller greys. In addition, I found a set of sheds (antlers) 11 pt all total and my buddy came out with some arrowheads, nut rocks, and an arrow straightner. The best part was eating those tasty morels and gloating on our finds. Now thats what I call a day to remember. John Christian Co. IL
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003. Subject: sighting. Found 45 greys around recently deceased elm in sunny spot on 4/27. In Kickapoo area of Peoria County. New spot. Old faithful is a bit more shady and shrooms not up there yet. Ate them sauteed in butter with scrambled eggs. Phil
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 10:14:26 -0500. Subject: knox county il. 4-26-3 knox county ill. we found our first mess of grays , 40 in all ,up to 1.5 inches.found them in the woods, by a tree. we need more sun. going to peoria county 2day. good picking my friends, from gr8tful1
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 13:26:08 -0500. Subject: Morels. Found 15 morels near Belleville, Illinois, 4 /16/03. One worth a picture, Mike
From: Robyn G. Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 22:43:09 -0500. Subject: Tazewell County Sighting. Found three morels all less than 4cm in size on a south facing hill in a heavily wooded area nestled in a bunch of dead leaves. All three were grey in color.
Date: Sun, 04 May 2003 12:02:17 -0500. Subject: Illinois morels. I found three small yellows today by a fallen red elm near Rantoul, IL (Champaign county). These are the first I've found this year. Maybe the season is a bit late this year in east central Illinois? Good Luck, Zack W.
MAGNOLIA REPORT 05/08/03: I finally got into the woods for serious hunting on Tuesday, 05-06-03. Found about 2.5 lbs of yellows scattered on west facing slopes of the Illinois River Valley. Found another 2.5 lbs of 1-3" greys within 20 feet of a dead elm on a north facing slope. We're hearing and seeing all kinds of reports that lead us to believe we're in a banner season. Tom
From: MIKE. Date: Mon, 05 May 2003. Subject: Cinco De Mayo Morels. Never say it's too late. In Macon county (Illinois) I found over 30 giant yellows. Here's a few of them. They're fresh!!!! Plus, they were walking distance to my house. I can hear the pan sizzling now....Great sight, see you next year
Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 09:27:58 -0500. Subject: A GOOD DAY TO HUNT. Pic's of our success!!!! John and Don Christian Co. IL
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 13:33:07 -0500. Subject: Report. Virgin hunter has success. Picked a dozen grays after dark with 11 year old son. Been scouting S Cook County hard for the past two weeks for Ash trees but none found. All found last night near dead Elms with bark mostly intact. Hope to find more this weekend. Thanks to your posters and you for information that helped us be successful. Keith A.
Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 06:35:46 -0500. Subject: Morels are up in northern illinois. From somewhere near Pecatonica in northern illinois. Morels are up. I picked about a pound yesterday 5/9/03. All were greys from 1" to 3" tall. We have had 4" of rain in the last 12 days, so the moisture is here, we just need it to stay warm at night. Looks like this week & next week will be the prime season. Kind of late this year. Also went to Peoria last friday 5/2/03 & picked a 4 pound bag of mixed yellow & greys. Good luck to everyone from SPONGE in Pecatonica.
Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 22:56:44 EDT. Subject: report. Dear Tom: Illinois:southern Cook County-yes Virginia there are morels in those woods. Report from yesterday didn't list state-sorry! Today, in 2 1/2 hours my eleven year old and I picked 113 yellows from 1 1/2" to 7" and wide. Fifteen under one tree! When I get pictures will e-mail for later posting. Again thanks to those who post and you for providing help to the former virgin. Keith A.
Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 23:39:34 -0500. Hey guys n' gals fresh from quad city area may, 10th found 15 lbs by 9:00 am grey's as big as soft balls yellows as big as small children , probably 100 too burnt to pick. one more week before ground cover is too thick I think maybe not ? cool web site thanks for putting it out . good luck shroom heads, slim from east moline IL. R.I.P. LARRY . P.S. I weighed my shrooms in my spore sack on a digital fish scale very accurate thanks for the sack
Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 00:56:47 -0500. Subject: Sighting: Rock Island County, IL. Randy and Ron found 21 grays on the top of East facing slopes, around brush piles and dead Elms. We spotted some on North facing slopes but will go back to get them after they plump-up a little more. We got our mushroom-eyes back. Looking forward to the Championship hunt. I can't wait to see 500-some people scramble into the woods, awesome. Best Regards, Ron S.
Date: Sat, 3 May 2003 22:47:26 EDT. Subject: (no subject). The day started out slower than I had hoped but I ended up picking about 30 mushrooms and saw around 200. The only reason I only picked 30 was because I wasn't sure about the "peckerhead" mushrooms. By the end of the day I had walked out of the woods with 30 mushrooms, a huge five point shed (just one antler), and a whole deer skull with four points. Brandon, East Peoria, IL.
From: Angie. Date: Wed, 7 May 2003 23:12:06 EDT. Subject: Morels in IL. In Mercer County between Reynolds and Matherville. About 50 greys and yellows. YUM!
From: Chris K. Date: Thu, 15 May 2003. Subject: Morels in Winnebago County. (05/15/2003) My father introduced me to Morel hunting when I was 8 years old and my love for the Morel and being outside is stronger than ever 28 years later. Found 25 yellow morels South of Pecatonica and a combination of 82 greys & yellows North of Pecatonica. I love this time of year. Whitcomb
Date: Sat, 17 May 2003. Subject: morels. 17 May 03, Lansing area, Got about 2 1/2 pounds of mostly yellows today. Most 3-4 inches, some very nice larger ones. Under dead elms with mayapples around them and pretty damp. Great season here so far. CLS
Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 09:17:17 -0500. Subject: Success :-) Thanks a lot Tom and Vickie for another great event in Magnolia! With the information gleaned from the speakers on friday nights doins and talking with some other fellow maniacs during the hunt Sat. I gotta admit I learned enough to find 27 lbs. in the last two days. Mostly yellows some greys and a smattering of half-tops. Like you allready alluded to,it IS a banner year. My daughter and I got in as walk-ons this year and found shrooms, mostly briar patches though... Anyway after 33 years of shroomin i thought I knew it all; untill I came to to best festival in the country. See you next year. Oh yeah, know anyone that wants to buy any fresh morels? I'm goin out again today after I write this and check another 10 acres. Tim in West Brooklyn, Illinois. 5/18/03
Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 07:23:27 -0500. Subject: morels. This is SPONGE again, from somewhere near Pecatonica. On 5/23/03 I went roadhunting & found the biggest shrooms of the year. 14 pounds in about 2 hours. One shroom had a stem that weighed 7/8 of a pound!!!!! All were starting to get old, but i picked them anyway. Some were 12" tall. Also got some nice greys & fresh yellows from the north side of the ditch. The year is pretty much over now. Got about 30 pounds total for the year. Now for the long wait till next year. Thanks for the site & will post again next year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indiana:
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 20:48:29 -0500. Ft. Wayne, IN, mushroom hunter seeking other local hunters. Hello all mushroom hunters, With 4 very warm days,Friday-Sat-Sun-Monday here in the "Fort" will mushrooms pop up on Tuesday?? Or is it still way too early for the little critters to come up?? Chris
From: Alan W. Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 13:00:24 -0500. Subject: Fort Wayne Indiana Morels. I see that there is another Morel hunter in Fort Wayne by the post here. Chris, I too live in Fort Wayne and it is still too early to hunt them here. When hunting early in the season try Ouabache State Park 45 min to the south of Fort Wayne. When hunting late in the season try Chain O Lakes State Park 45 min to the North. In the midst of the season here they can often be found in the wooded areas on and around Canterbury Green of all places! It _IS 100% LEGAL_ to hunt mushrooms in the state parks in Indiana. If you get skunked buy some at Hilger's Farm Market. If you find a bunch, sell them to Hilger's Farm Market :)
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003. Subject: a note for Indiana. >From jal-I am a Wisconsin mushroom hunter who will be in southeast Indiana for a few days around April 12th. I assume since you are much
further south, I might be able to find some there by then. I know in Wisconsin I have great luck by dead elms or old orchards. Does the same apply to the area southeast of Indianapolis, about 30 -60 minutes from Cincinnati? Any tips for exploring in a new area would be appreciated. jl
From: chad w. Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 08:30:50 -0500 Subject: Indiana mushrooms. For those posting about Indiana mushrooms. I found a few small ones in Dearborn County on Thursday4/3/2003. I have a spot where they grow through the gravel in the side of the road. I'm laid up from surgery, so I spot 'em from the car then send my brother to shag 'em down(ooohhh I hate working with old peope ;^) ) To Wisconsin hunter. Try Versailles State Park in southern Indiana. Look near elm trees. Both dead and alive. Godd luck!!!
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 18:17:09 -0800 (PST). Subject: indiana morels.. They are here at last!!!!!30 small grey's found in southern ind.on 4/3/2003, these extra warm days have helped in getting those lovely mushrooms up and start the season with early finds.To jal from wis. try any state park or if your close to Muscatatuck Wildlife Refuge on U.S.Hwy 50 near seymour or try Camp Atterury on the state park side near Edinburgh has lots of hunting areas. happy hunting jim
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 13:47:01 -0400. Subject: 2003 Sightings. Park CO. Indiana 42 small Brown\Black .... Cold nights ahead. No mushrooms in Southern Indiana ....Lollyshroom
From: Steve. Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003. Subject: Morels. Help!!! Southern (Warrick) southern Indiana ....Lollyshroom where in Southern Indiana? can I find morels..........
Subject: small whites. 4/8/2003. Found three small white morel in Gibson Co. Indiana Tuesday afternoon, along with one small "horse-tail". This weekend we'll be eating good!. Found some very large "False Morel" on 4/7/2003. Dave Might Gibson Co Indiana
From: Steve. Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Where do the black morels popup in Southern Indian?????????????Lollyshroom! i.e. Evansville Booneville ....
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 07:26:01 -0600. Subject: Indiana Mushrooms. Found 4 small blacks on 4/6 in Park County, cold weather set in and found nothing more til the 13th. My daughter and I found 3 pounds on the 13th in Park county. Some were almost 3" tall. These were big for grays, but tasted real good!!!!!!!! Mike.
From: Rick S. Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 14:19:32 -0500. Subject: Indiana Sighting. I found 59 tall blacks in West Central Indiana, South of Cayuga on Tuesday, April 15. Should be a lot more if we get some rain soon.
From: bsparks. Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Subject: Indiana blacks. Wednesday April 17, Central Indiana near Martinsville Found 7 nice blacks Dad - 2 Stew the Shroomhound - 5. The season is ready to bust wide open. Used our usual mushroom gauge - Dogwood in front yard started blooming on Tuesday, time to hit the woods.
From: The Thiemans Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003. Subject: Indiana report. Spent some time near Brookville Lake 4/18 with no luck. Area we hunted much too dry. Will wait for rain before we try again.
From: James N. Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 03:14:12 -0500. Subject: black and grey mushrooms. find on 4/11/03 in Bartholomew county....even in the cool weather i found 5 med. size blk.and 3 small grey growing on a hill facing southeast in some fallen elms .hoping for warmer weather here....still a little early in the season but can always find a friend to help search ........hoping to see some yellow and white sponges soon .
From: M Line Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003. My husband Mel is an avid hunter of morels,as of Apr.18,he has found 834.He hunts in the southern part of Indiana,Orange Co.He is often called by others to see if he's found any.That way,they know their up.He does'nt eat them,so he gives them all away. He makes alot of people happy.We are coming,for the first time to the Morel Mania,in Magnolia.See you there.
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Subject: Southwest Indiana. Sunday, April 13 --- Found one lone gray morel, slightly scraggly looking, atop a Warrick County spoil bank. Now, I'm hungry! Jim
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. Subject: hello. Found about 50 Morchella Semilibera (Half Free morel) around and under honeysuckle bushes in the Eagle Creek park area on 04/23/03. Most were fresh some about a week old. No blacks or grays to be found. We are supposed to get some rain this week and I am hoping this will bring them on. Seems like the morels are running later this season? Gonna try again this weekend. UKLemm this is in Indianapolis, Ind area
From: Dennis C. Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. I went looking in Logansport Indiana. No luck yet. Very very dry. Not warm enough either.
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 23:14:18 -0500. Subject: Indiana morels. Here in Lafayette Indiana I started hearing of folks finding small greys. and blacks on or about Easter. More blacks than most years, and later. Today, 4-24 a friend and I found two dozen mostly greys with some small. yellows about halfway between I-70 and I-74. We poked around for a. little over an hour, didn't have time to reach the area we wanted to hunt... It's time, get out there! Mike
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 10:59:34 EDT. Subject: Found grey morels. Tom, We found 5 small grey morels in Henry County, IN in our yard under the pine trees on 4-26-2003. Hope to find more when we get to the woods. CLH
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 23:47:56 EDT. Subject: mushrooms. Went to some of my old spots on 04/27/03 on the west side of Indy in Eagle Creek went in the am and found 45 grays and 15 snake heads. Most of the grays were about 1 - 2 inches tall found a few large ones, also some that were almost white in color. I went again in the afternoon this time with the kids and found another 25 in about an hour. Most were around tulip trees and mayapple patches. Nothing like taking the young folk on a successful hunt. I love this time of year! cant wait to fry up some shrooms. UKLemm
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 00:02:01 EDT. Subject: Southwest Indiana. A little better luck in the spoil banks of Warrick County this week; a half dozen decent-sized yellows earlier in the week, and today (4/27) 14 or 15 yellows, each 4"-6" high, most still pretty firm & fresh. Have only had about an hour to an hour and a half to hunt each day. Not quite as much luck hunting in nearby hardwood forest in Vanderburgh County this same week. Jim
Mansfield Report: We were at the Mansfield, IN Festival over the weekend (which why the Sightings Page" updates have been delayed. We understand they sold more than 600 packages of fresh morels on Saturday alone. I talked to sellers that had brought them in from IL, OH, and KS.
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003. Subject: let the games begin. Hello fellow shroomers , found several greys and a couple of very small yellows up in northeast Indiana on 4/29&30 yeehaaaaa!!! good luck to all..T-bone
From: tom j. Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 15:08:27 -0500. Subject: muncie, IN, morel maniac. My brother and I just got back from hunting the muncie, IN area, and had the best time and find I can remember in along time. We only hunted around 3 hrs, and found over 200 yellow morels, at least 75 grays, 150 blacks, lots of snake heads too, oh and 1 elephant ear. Life is good, I'am in morel heaven. What a great time of year !!!!!!!!!!!!
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 14:40:55 -0500 (Central Daylight Time). Subject: Mushrooms. Found on April 22 in Clay County, Center Point, IN a few 4 inch white morrels, a few small grays and a few small black morrells. Think I got somebody else's leftovers. Bev
Date: Thu, 8 May 2003. Subject: Northern IN 'shrooms. We had our Annual Family Mushroom Hunting Contest & Campout Weekend on May 3 & 4th in Southeastern Kosciusko County. A total of 132 were found. There was a variety of grays and yellows with a few spikes. The "Biggest" (5" high) & "Most" (47) found awards went to Brother-in-law Jerry. My 9 yr. old son Jesse found the "Smallest" (.485" high) and "Weirdest" mushrooms. Everyone received a prize even if they got skunked. McNut. Somewhere in Northern IN
From: Polander. Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 23:10:12 EDT. Subject: morels. Found 400 greys 5/1/03 chain o lake state park .This weekend should be great in nothern indiana. Lots of rain last two days.
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 17:42:38 -0400. Subject: NW Indiana report. From Chicago - Took Mom on mother's day to a State park in NW Indiana..... Been going there for 5 years and always found about 5 shrooms only. This year we found 60. Average size about 4". Very fun and best season ever........LuganShroomer
Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 00:36:24 -0500. Subject: morel season. date:5/20/03 n.w.ind, the season seem's about over. had a great year my wife and i found 327 morels about half yellows and half greys.we started hunting about 4 years ago and are addicted. my wife has become a great schroomer and finds more than i.already looking forward to next year.John and rose
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iowa:
Hi Tom, I was curious if you would be so kind as to place a link to my message board on your site? I have created a message board for Iowa morel hunters and would like to gain more exposure. It is at Iowa Morel Message Board I have searched all over the web and have been unable to locate an Iowa morel board. I think this would be beneficial to other Iowans looking to get in contact with other shroomers in their state. Thank You, Garry H.
From: mike. Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003. Subject: ist sightings in Iowa. 4 of us went out 4/15 and found 4 lbs of mushrooms. biggest was only 2" tall but they all taste good! the spot is south west Iowa along the missouri river. Good luck and good hunting
From: cinder. Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: Sighting In Iowa!! Hey in Norway,Iowa my cousin picked to Yellows at the cemetar 4/19/03
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. Subject: Iowa sightings! It is April 23rd, 2003 and my sister, Mother and I just got back from shrooming in central Iowa and found 29 grays! They were from half an inch to an inch. We are so excited! We thought we'd go out and practice for the Illinois State Mushroom Hunt and are we ready now! Karen B. Ankeny, Iowa
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 12:05:14 -0500. Subject: Sighting Iowa. Found six grey's the size of my thumbnail this morning-April 26. Johnson County Iowa. It's going to be/is a late season here. Usually finding big yellows by first weekend in May... Brad in Coralville.
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 18:50:57 EDT. Subject: Morel Sightings. Iowa morels I went out turkey hunting this morning april 27 and stumbled upon 150 greys smallest 1/8 inch and the biggest about 4 inches! found a few that had already dried too. This was in southern iowa near bedford. Matt
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 02:28:24 EDT. Subject: sightings. Jim from Iowa, found 50 small gray and about 10 2-4" yellows north Des Moines area. know of 280 small grays east of Des moines and 236 one day and 180 next north west of Des Moines, also numerous 15-30 small grays, all 4-7 or 4-28.
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003. Subject: Southern Iowa Morels. Found 168 gray morels in southern Iowa! They were under dead elms and locust and hedge trees! I think this will be a bumper year with all the rain forecast for the next 4 days. The big yellows should be out by next weekend. 4-28-03 Dave & Jane from Roland Iowa
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003. Subject: Sightings. Jim from Iowa again 4-29-03 found 200 small-small yellows, biggest 2 1/2", 1/2 of them smaller than 1". north of Des Moines. Can't wait for the rain to stop and warm up to 70, this Thur. I hope, Hopefulley the yellows there will be lots bigger. :)
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003. Subject: Morels found. April 29, Johnson County Iowa. Found 500+ grays today and Three yellows. Brad & Tommy.
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 21:11:10 EDT. Subject: Jerry Here with sightings. Hey all you mushroomers, Iowa is at its prime.Lovin every minute of it. Been out everyday since April 23rd. Found several grays 385 one day in 1 hour. Been down by Monroe Area not good this year for me.Not as well as North of Des Moines.Can't wait until this week is over more rain I hope. You all have fun see ya. Jerry From Nevada Iowa
From: Brent. Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003. : Saylorville morels. Found about a dozen greys in the Saylorville, IA area on April 28th. Ranging in size from the eraser on a pencil to an inch. Just a little more rain needed an a couple of days I think.
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 21:02:41 -0500. Subject: Iowa sighting. Wednesday, April 30, 2003......Finding abundant patches of grays from thumbnail size to 3.5" in western Polk County outside of DesMoines. Getting lots of rain this week, this could be an exceptional season this year for this area. Amain
Date: Fri, 2 May 2003 00:13:38 EDT. Subject: Southern Iowa morels. It rained 2 to 3 last night and that sprang up a new crop of gray as well as yellow mushrooms! We found over 500 under dead red elms and birch. We'll try again tomorrow as these morels were very fresh! 5/1/03 Good luck hunting. Jane and Dave. Roland, Iowa
Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 08:54:26 -0500. Subject: huntin mushrooms. This is Simo from Cedar Rapids, Iowa My buddy Sparky, and his son Wes and I hunted down at the Amana's 4/31/03 and found 191. About 150 Gray's 30 or so Yellow's the rest Blacks.It really helped to get 2 1/2 inches of rain the night before. I like your web site, Later. Simo
Date: Tue, 6 May 2003. Subject: RE: Sightings. Greetings: Here is our lucrative weekend report. Saturday May 3, near Blencoe IA picked 3.7 lbs all types early gray, some yellow, and some fist-sized broadbased morels with the dark colored tops. Sunday May 4, in the rain south of Sioux City, IA on the river picked 2 lbs Sunday May 4, McCook S.D. 2 lbs more. Monday, May 5, Vermillion S.D. 5 lbs Looks like a good year with more rain coming and temps for 65 to 75. L.T. and Kaye
From: David. Date: Tue, 6 May 2003. Subject: Sighting. Morel Morales reporting, 5/2/03 17 grays, 5/3/03 192 grays, 5/5/03 203 grays and they appear to be getting bigger. I think I will go tomorrow (5/7/03). Blackhawk Co. Iowa. Good luck to all, just waiting on big yella the morella. Morel Morales
Date: Thu, 08 May 2003. Subject: Morels galore, Southeast Iowa is having a bumper crop of morels this year. A report of 40 lbs picked in one day made the local paper. Dale N. Farmington, Iowa
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 10:19:28 -0500. Subject: First timer finds one in Iowa. This is my first year of hunting mushrooms and I struggled to find any last week after hearing reports of loads of them being found. I found lots of ticks. Anyhow, I gave it another shot last night and I found my first morel, a big yellow one near Coralville Reservoir in Johnson County. I found a few others that I thought were morels, but they ended up being false thanks to another mushroomer that I ran into that showed them to me. It was a really big thrill for me to finally find one. You can bet that I found a new hobby. Thanks goes to you at morel mania for getting me started with this. My shroom bag might of only had one morel, but I will always remember the excitement of finding the first one. -Kent
Date: Fri, 2 May 2003 15:51:35 -0500. Ankeny, IA. 50021 (just North of Des Moines) Name: JoeBuck. Hunted 3 spots today from 11:30 to 3:00 found 119 total 1st and 2nd spots all mid size Blondie's 3rd spot a mix of grays and mid size Blondie's. All areas are just starting to produce. South facing slopes and low spots were the best.
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 22:14:31 -0500. Subject: Report for Guthrie County in Iowa. Afternoon of May 9, 2003--Hopefully you get this image! This is the best mushroom hunting I remember since I was a kid! Mom and I went out and must have gotten 15 pounds! At least that is what it felt like when we dragged ourselves out of the woods after a spectacular but exhausting day! We found yellows and grays, big and small! This was Guthrie County in Iowa before I forget to mention. And after the good rain this weekend, at the same time and after we hunted these beauties, I do not think they are done! This was all off of about 10 acres and I am sure we missed quite a few! We found these beauties mostly in grassy areas but also on a slope going down to the north we found a bunch of large grays. We also found small grays on the west side of banks of leaves and mud! So basically they were all over. We found some hiding in even tall grass on the southside of the woods where there was fallen wood! They were just plain thick! Sheryl and Judy
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 11:17:08 -0500. Subject: Beginner finally finds a lot. I was the first timer that just found one the other day. I finally got lucky and found 60 yellows near Amana on Saturday May 10th. There were several veteran hunters in the same area that had boat loads of yellows. Thanks to their helpful hints it made my day a lot better. -Kent
Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 03:59:55 EDT. Subject: Sightings. Tom, Jim from Des Moines Iowa again. Bumper crop this year, finding more than ever have in past.May 1st, 110 1 1/2"-4" small grays and medium white colored inside Des Moines city limits, west central. May 2nd, 70 grays 1 1/2"-3" same place as before. May 5th, 100 grays and yellows finally, 2"-4" same place. May 6th, 40 yellows, 2"', south side of city. May 6th, 7th and 8th, Southwest Iowa, Ringold Co. 6 Gal. freezer bags full and 1 plastic grocery sack full, 240 3"-5" mostly yellows, some smaller grays, 120 Giant 5"-8" biggest Yellows, everywhere, in Timber, south facing hills, on flats on top of hills, most came from yards of lots around pond, next to pond where people had stopped mowing and in open grass of yards, BUMPER, BUMPER Year. Have not looked in any place where I didn't find them.
Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 04:07:10 EDT. Subject: Morel sightings. Hey Tom, Jim again from Des Moines Iowa. They just keep coming, and getting BIGGER. May 12th, North side of Des Moines same place I found 45 small grays around may 1st and then 80 Large Yellows, 5"-7" on May 5th I forgot to tell ya about last e-mail. Anyway back to the 12th. same place in trees big yellows before but farther up the timber North, 120 Huge Yellows some big grays. Grays 2"-4' Mostly Yellows 5"-7" again. Best year in 20 Years. Thanks for posting, Great site. Jim
Date: Mon, 19 May 2003 08:32:53 -0500. Subject: They got some more. Here is a follow-up on the same 10 acres in Guthrie County, Iowa that mom and I hunted on. Two others went the day or so after we did and netted 50 pounds! We all know where I am taking my vacation next year!! :o) Sheryl and Judy
From: D S. Date: Thu, 22 May 2003 10:40:11 -0500. Subject: mushroom findings in iowa. Our lucky day on 5/18/03 in Palo Iowa. After 3 years of hunting, we finally got a nice batch of mushrooms. We walked all day and found many large yellows with the largest being about a foot long, most of them around dead elms. We went home with about 5 lbs of morels that day. Yummy, can't wait to dive into them :) Our season is about to end now, we figured that was our last day to hunt. Take care all you mushroomers...... Till next year.............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kansas:
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003. mark p from kansas city couldn't wait any longer went out today april 1st found 2 little grays about half inch long they are up but just starting need more rain good luck to all hope for a good year.
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 12:45:03 -0600. Subject: Kansas Sighting. Tuesday April 1, 2003 -- We found 7 little gray Morels in Southeastern Kansas. Thursday April 3 we found 3 gray Morels. Cold weather heading our way hope it does not mess up the season. kent
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:29:38 -0700 (PDT). Subject: Early SEK(southeast Kansas) Morels. Looked a few spots around april 2nd and only to find 60 or so false morels. But while getting to a crappie hole on friday april 4th a couple of buddies and I stumbled acrossed better than 6 pounds. We quit counting at 350 of the small to large grey and yellow morels. These are amoung the first reported in my area. Saturday night it turned cold, but is rainy and in a couple of days should warm up resulting in a remarkable year. Spark and digger
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 20:37:51 -0500. Subject: SouthEastern Kansas. April 7, 2003 David and I found 159 morels afterwork, Southeastern Kansas. Nice signs, 3 patches with 30+ were found, one a new patch. Good news to us cause last year finds were one's or pairs but no big patches. This could be a good year... kent
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Subject: SouthEastern Kansas. Tuesday, April 8, 2003. Hit numbers in patches again tonight 120 mixed gray and yellow Morels afterwork. Temperatures were cold with spitting snow, only 37 degrees at 9:15pm. Looks like we may have a nice season ahead. ... kent
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 22:01:10 -0500. Subject: Southeast Kansas, April 10, 2003. Two (2) road spotters awards went out afterwork with many "You walked by" awards awarded. "You walked by" awards are shameful... nothing to be proud. Frist road spotter award went to shroomsidekick, he got the "MasterShroomer" this year award too. 102 tonight, .. kent
From: Lois C. Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 16:11:15 -0500. Subject: Newfound Mushroom Heaven!! Date:Sun. April 13th, Southwestern Sedgwick County, Kansas. My mom and I found 46 small to medium yellows. One lonely black one. First one spotted from the roadside. After that found 3 nice patches beneath the leaves. Hopefully with the next rain it will be our newfound Mushroom Heaven.
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 22:38:09 -0500. Subject: Good Night -- SouthEastern Kansas. Monday, April 14, 2003... 437 Morels in SouthEastern Kansas. RoadSpot had 300+... took 3 people 30 minutes to pick, it was fun! 36 found Friday, April 11. We did not hunt Saturday or Sunday, prime time is about to start. ..kent
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 06:06:09 -0500. Subject: Morels Found. April, 14, 2003. Morels found in Southeast Kansas. Had to take the day off work on Monday to check my favorite spots. Found 210 morels. Mostly little blacks and a few whites. Rain this week will make the woods explode. Happy hunting!! Wolfie.
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 06:52:57 -0500. Subject: early find. Paul in NE KS (Jackson Co.) found 6 small shrooms next to the KS river on the 10th. Kind of dry. Its been hot so more should be up. All fruit trees are in full bloom. We could use some rain to get into full swing.
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 10:15:40 -0500. Subject: South Central Kansas. Monday April 14th, found nearly 100 yellows, no grays, near Harper, Kansas. The high temperatures have scorched the tops of the mushroom. Also came across numerous false morels. We're expecting rain today. I'll be out tomorrow. Mark R.
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 16:43:50 -0500. Subject: Miami County, KS. My sisters and I went mushroom hunting this morning (April 12th) and found about 35 altogether. Most were very small, but it is early and we need more rain. We were rather surprised to find any at all! Tina, my co-worker and fellow competitive mushroom hunter, will never believe me. Wait until I get the pictures developed! Mary
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 07:28:19 -0500. Subject: another find. Paul in NE KS. (Jackson Co.) found 18 medium sized shrooms yesterday in the same place where we found some on the 10th. All were dry and some had to be thrown away. We got an half inch of rain last night so they should be everywhere anytime.
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 21:08:40 -0500. Subject: SouthEastern Kansas. Tax day...April 15, 2003. 117 Morels found after work tonight. Rain heading our way... could be a great weekend for shrooms... kent
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003. Subject: morels in kansas. 4-17-03 Me and my daughter went out today and found 7 small morels. We didn't spend but about 30 minutes out in the woods in our back yard in Northeastern Kansas. The temperature was about high 60 and we got have had light rains for the past couple of days. Hope to find more tomorrow and this weekend. Thanks...Laurie
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003. Subject: SouthEastern Kansas. Friday, April 18, 2003 155 Morels today. We did not hunt Wednesday or Thursday... kent
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003. Subject: More Morels. Saturday, April 19, 2003. SouthEastern Kansas.. 144 Morels today. Rain last night help lots... more rain today and tonight... kent
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003. Subject: Southeastern Kansas. Saturday - 4-19-03. Takes a real Morel Maniac to hunt mushrooms in a thunderstorm in Southeast Kansas during tornado season. But, here I am. Found 150 morels in a rainstorm. Mostly whites, a few giants. Going back today (Easter) to find more. I'd rather hunt for morels than eggs anyday. Happy Easter and happy hunting. P.S. Every morel I find, I say a silent prayer for my friend Larry Lonik and his family. May God rest his soul. - Wolfie
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: Sighting. Happy to say that we've finaly got them in Riley County Ks. Found about 50 greys on the 18th and around 100 greys and yellows on the 19th. The sizes ranged from 1-4 inches. Randy
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: NE KANSAS. Finding greys,some yellows, and half morels in NE Kansas..not really going strong yet, but the neighbors,my wife and me have found enough to get a good taste teaser.. the warm up should really get things popping . WhiteCloud
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003. Subject: Southeastern Kansas. April 20, 2003. Happy Easter. Found 40 large greys & whites. The cool weather is extending the season this year. I know Larry is smiling on all of us morel hunters. Wolfie.
From: Lois C. Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 17:24:29 -0500. Subject: Found 46!!! We found 46 nice fresh.... First one spotted from the roadside. Lead to finding 3 or 4 nice patches of fresh yellows. Hopefully with a rain this will become our new Mushroom Heaven! South-Western Sedgwick County.
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Subject: Morels found in Jefferson Co. We have found morels in southern Jefferson county. So far the only luck we've had has been near the Kansas River. They are small and grey, but they are the first we've heard of in this area. We need rain badly and hopefully with some expected moisture and warmth, we can look forward to a good year.~Matt
From: APTUS GROUP LLC. Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Subject: lots. We hit the mother load today boys and girls. 7 pounds in 3 hours.(Jackson County, KS) 1/2 rain made all of the difference. What a blast!
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: Jefferson Co. Kansas. Dad, brother Cory, and I hit the woods yesterday. After a couple of unsuccessful hunts, Easter Sunday was the trick. They were just getting started. Most of what we found were small, though Cory set the pace with an admirable bag. Looks like the major rains over the weekend really woke up the little sponges. Looking forward to this week. Brother Dan, the morel map master, is flying in from Arizona this coming week, so watch out. We'll be gettin' ticks, pluckin' briars, and eatin' 'shrooms. Dave S.
From: Judy P. Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: morels 2003. City: Manhattan, Kansas Date first found: April 17, 2003 type: yellow morel
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. Subject: Kansas morels. I live in Texas but was recently in Southeastern Kansas for a visit (April 9-12) and was lucky enough to get to eat some freshly picked yellow and gray morels. What a treat - Kansas crappie and sauteed morels....heaven on a plate!! janet
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 21:10:34 -0500. Subject: SouthEastern Kansas. Thursday, April 24, 2003. SouthEastern Kansas. I called it quits Monday for this season, poison ivy for the first time in 20 years.. .. then my ShroomStick sidekick found 18 Tuesday night and 47 Wednesday night, nice fresh Morels. I decided come out of season retirement and we found 28 nice ones tonight (Thursday). Rain and thunderstorms so we quit early cause we were soaked.... kent.
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 13:30:02 -0400. Subject: Large Yellows!!! I found 22 large yellows and 4 large greys ranging from 3 - 6 inches and as large as 3 1/2 inches in diameter in a creek bed in Kansas City, Kansas...mmm mmm good...Boomer777
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 20:15:39 -0500. Subject: Checking in From Jefferson Co. Kansas. Arizona Dan flew in on Friday. Cory, Dad, Dan and I hit three different spots today and found 51, a mixture of both grayuns and yellerns. We're making a day of it tomorrow and Monday. Hopefully we'll be sending a bunch back to Flagstaff. Happy huntin'! Dave S.
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003. Subject: Jefferson Co. KS. Well, we're having to work for them this year. Dan, Dad, Cory, and I found another 25 today, a mixture of yellerns and grayuns. We had a lot of fun today though and agreed that the annual spring hunt is a spiritual experience. This was the third night running that we ate morels for supper and hope that the trend continues. Dan is returning to Flagstaff tomorrow and is taking Christy a sizeable bag of Kansas morels (we hope his carry-on luggage won't be considered contraband!) We've seen more snakes out with the 'shrooms this year. Several black snakes, garters, and blue racers have been guarding the ceremonial mushroom woods. The turkeys are out too. Dad, Dan, and Cory scared a hen out of her spot. After investigating they found 15 eggs in her clutch. Dave S.
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 14:57:58 -0500. Subject: Jefferson Co. Kansas. Dad, Dan and I worked hard for 27 more today. All were yellerns, some of which were 8 inchers. Dave S
Date: Fri, 2 May 2003 12:01:16 -0500. Subject: season winding down in Kansas. I found one lonely mushroom (yellow) today in my woods near Manhattan, KS. The best day was last Friday - found about 17 in the creek bed. I don't have time to scope out new spots this year. Happy Hunting to the rest of you up north! Judy P.
We're hearing reports of a monster morel found near Ottawa, KS being 12" tall and weighing 7 lbs. If anyone has seen a picture or can enlighten us, it would be appreciated. My first reaction is that the numbers don't jive. I've seen a 13" tall morel that weighed 1 lb 4oz. So my first suspicion is that it is a Gyromitra.
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 19:56:30 -0500. Subject: Giant morel in Ottawa, KS Tom, I saw the newspaper account in the Ottawa Herald about this large morel that was found. It appeared to me to be a caroliniana. There was no photo on their on-line version of the paper (you have to pay for the on-line paper to access the archives anyway, although I think you can get a free 2 week subscription); I suppose if you wanted a photo of it you could call them and see if they might have a back issue of that copy. Take it easy, Brian H., Lawrence, KS
Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 20:49:21 -0500. Subject: RE: Giant morel in Kansas - It was a Gyromitra (beafsteak morel). It was in the local paper last week. - Wolfie
Thanks to Kent W. for forwarding the picture of the "Monster Morel" that was printed in the Kansas City Star. Definitely a Gyromitra
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kentucky:
From: Ronald T. Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 07:32:02 -0500. First Find of Season. Here in southeast Ky., we have had several days of extremely warm weather with successive nights of temperature exceeding 40 degrees. These ideal conditions prompted a friend and I to head to the mountians. Our first sighting was on Sat.,3/15/03. With warm rain last evening and temperature at 52 degrees this morning at 7.00 am. Plan to make a follow-up tripto hopefully find our favorite location blanketed with both Blacks & Yellows in full Beauty.
From: Michael D. D. Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 19:05:24 -0500. Today is Tues.April 1, 2003. Went to Burnt Ridge where we go every year haven't spotted any yet. I think we need a shower of rain and a few more warm days. The mayapples are just popping through the ground, and the dogwoods still don't have leaves on them yet, not even the size of a mouse's ear. Probably, by Friday we'll find some. GoodLuck to all hunters. Big Hill, Kentucky.
From: Melissa & Dan B. Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 19:29:56 -0400. Subject: ky sighting. Found one half- free today behind the house.I expect by the weekend things will really start popping:) I am in Wolfe Co. KY( eastern part of the state)
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2003. Subject: Sighting in KY. Found 25 small (1 to 3 inch tall) black morels very near Cave City, Kentucky. I can't wait to get back out there! They were SCRUMPTIOUS. Paul L.
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Subject: Morels I see! I found my first 2 morels of the season this morning. I am in Argillite, KY. Just thought I would let you know. By the way Argillite is in the Northeastern part of Ky. Good Luck, Mark
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 12:20:05 -0500. Subject: morels. On April, 12th, Karen & Gary B. found 287 black morels in Marshall County, Ky. On the same day, Roy B. found 150 morels also in Marshall County, Ky. Gary B. Benton, Ky
From: CHARLENE. Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 20:30:05 EDT. Subject: Morels. Good afternoon: We have found morels in Benton KY which is about 25 miles east of Paducah as of today, April 13, 2003.
From: Mary Ann. Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 20:22:35 -0500. Subject: Western kentucky Sighting. found morel in my backyard flower garden.
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 22:02:22 EDT. Subject: Morels In Kentucky. I found 21 nice yellows on 04/10/03 in SE KY near Harlan. All were about 3-4" high. I expect another week or so of good hunting here followed by about a week lucky strikes. Greg
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 05:44:14 -0500. Subject: sighting. west central Kentucky, about one hour south of Evansville Indiana, 4-13-03 fond 30 grays, two small blacks, one large black that was going bad, and one small yellow. Also saw some half-free's. The next rain should really get things going! Mike
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 22:37:43 -0400. Subject: yellows. 4-25-03. Found 19 yellow morels today near capitol city kentucky. should be several more after next warm rain. the bird.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manitoba:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maryland:
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Subject: false morel sighting/ MD. I sighted my first ever false morel north of Baltimore City, Maryland, April 6th. Do you know anything about when the season starts in Maryland? Last year I stumbled upon them for the first time and it was all yellows in early april. The false one I found on Sunday is the only shroom I've found yet this spring. And yesterday it snowed, so it may be another couple of weeks. I love your sight! Alena
From: Steve K. Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 09:43:10 -0400. Subject: First sighting of the year in Maryland. We have looked several times this season. Finally found two in mid western Maryland, not a big find, but at least things are looking up. It is raining today, with lots of warm weather to follow. It just might happen this week.
From: John D. Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 23:21:17 -0400. Subject: Maryland Morels. I found my first morels of the year this Tuesday (4/22/03) in Takoma Park, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC. I picked up five thumb sized Black Morels and 7 Half Free Morels. Although there was not a lot of volume, I had one of the best culinary experiences in years. I sauteed them with the thyme, chives, sage that's coming in for the season. This comes after finding a large quantity of False Morels near Damascus, which I didn't eat, last Sunday. I also found the remains of a Giant Puffball (maybe even from last year) on that trek. It rained today, so I'll be back on the trail tomorrow.
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 12:28:41 +0000. Subject: MD sightings. We hit the jackpot on the evening of April 26, it was just getting dark, and we found about a dozen 2 inch grays. We thought that was it and were headed out when we started tripping over blacks that ran from 4-7 inches. We got about 60 before we couldn't see anymore. We went back on sunday morning and found another 250!!! Mostly Blacks, Grays, and a few white morels were starting to pop up. All were found in leaf litter around wild cherry and birch trees. Our hunting ground is north of Baltimore city, Maryland. Happy hunting!) Alena, Alan, Jamie, Kate, Sandy, Melvin
From: nick. Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 09:12:40 -0400. Subject: morels are up in Md. I found 46 on 4-27, 103 on 4-28, 84 on 4-29 and 30 on 4-30. Mostly toppies, some large blacks and a few yellows. All found somewhere in Maryland
From: Steve K. Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 21:23:14 -0400. Subject: More Morels. Been to busy to log in. I found 16 on April 27, 28 on April 30th, and a undisclosed large amount on May 3rd. All of these gems came from mid western Maryland. Having a great time enjoying the benefits of finding so many. Venison Marsala, deep fried, and sautéed in butter. Good luck to all.
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 07:52:41 -0400. from CLS in Baltimore, Maryland: 1 3/4 pounds found Monday May 5 in Patapsco St. Pk. First time ever hunting these prized edibles! Will definitely keep my eyes open for next couple of weeks and look forward to it next year! Washed them, cut off bottom of stalks, and sauted them in butter, olive oil, a little fresh garlic, and white wine. Served them over white rice with a little salt and pepper to bring out the flavors even more!!! Wonderful side dish!!!
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 15:50:44 -0400. Subject: FW: MD Report. My father tought me how to hunt for Morels when I was a kid during the 60's, in Allegany County, MD. I moved to the Baltimore area in the Mid 80's, and read an article about Mushroom hunting in the Baltimore Sun. Naturally, the author was vague about the whereabouts of finding them; but he did say that they could be found around our 3 municipal reservoir watersheds. It took me a few years, but I have found a half dozen good spots. They tend to be in larger stands of Tulip Poplar trees. This week, I have found 5 - 6 dozen on each of the last three evenings. I've been finding mostly Yellows with a few Blacks mixed in. The typical size is an inch or two tall. I travel back to Allegany County, on the weekends from Mid April to Mid May, to go turkey hunting. I go "shrooming" on those afternoons. My brother-in-law (whom I tought to hunt morels) showed me a cooler full of soda-can sized mushrooms he picked along the Potomac River in Allegany County on April 30th. I searched in the same spot on May 3rd, and didn't find any, because the undergrowth had gotten too thick. Scott M
Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 02:25:39 -0400. Yellow morels found on river side of Patapsco in State Park, Baltimore County. Only a half dozen or so, but a very exciting find!!! -CS
From: Steve K. Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 11:48:29 -0400. Subject: Late Morels mid western Maryland. It seems to have been a good year. Picked quite a few May 9th. I got a bit busy, so I was not able to return until May 24th. Since it has been wet and cool I was hoping for an extend season. I found about 5 older yellows, with quite a bit of looking. So until next year, we will have to put up with the dried ones we have so carefully prepared for the year to come.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maine:
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003. Subject: MUSHROOM SIGHTING IN MAINE! After hunting for morrells in Ohio for many many years I moved to Maine 4 yrs ago. Asked several towns people who hunt other types of mushrooms in the fall and they had no clue what I was talking about. I gave up any hope of finding them here until last summer! When low and behold 5 showed up in my very own backyard! Well I just went out looking today Thurs May 15 2003 and near the spot where they were last year I have found THEM! Although only about 1/3 of an inch tall at this pt. It is totally obvious what they are!! We have had plenty of rain all week but temps have only been in the 50s so I am shocked they are even popped! Is supposed to be in the 70s on sunday and monday and I hope to see some massive popping!! So, if there is any MAINERS out there get out your magnifying glass tomorrow or take a walk in the woods this weekend!! Missy D. Millinocket Maine. 75 miles north of Bangor and just south of Mt. Katahdin!
Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 17:11:34 -0400. Subject: Maine sighting. May 24, 2003 Knox County town of Rockport. Searched and searched in apple orchards and in areas of lime sweet soil with no success. Then found about two dozen yellow and black morels in the wood mulch beds laid last fall at a new building construction site. This follows a pattern seen in years past. As of 5-29 there were still a few young fruiting bodies coming. Greg M.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Massachusetts:
Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 13:50:33 GMT. Subject: Massachusetts. First and earliest ever sighting from Massachusetts. While running to catch the high-speed ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket, I nearly stepped on about a dozen little greys growing in sand that had accumulated in cracks in the parking lot. Funny, most years I can spend weeks combing old apple orchards and elm groves with little to no luck, but this year th morels are finding me! PhB
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 12:05:18 -0400 (EDT). Subject: MA. Massachusetts report. I gathered about 4 dozen yellows, 2-4" in an old apple orchard in the Connecticut River Valley of western MA, on May 10-11. Not terribly impressive compared to reports from many other states, but my best yet. Morels aren't very common here. Not certain why. Too oakey? I also collected about 6 pounds of wild asparagus around the same time last week. A forager's wet dream, for sure! Marty
From: Bob B. Date: Fri, 16 May 2003. Subject: morel findings. I live in the Berkshire Mts. of southern Berkshire county MA. I have found a few dozen of the small dark gray and the large yellow morels during the week of 5/12. Exclusively in the near vicinity of dead elms. Its getting to where I hardly bother to look anywhere else. Seems funny though, when I lived in southwestern VA ( Abingdon, VA ) we would find morels widely dispersed in mixed hardwood forests, but not here. Does anyone have any idea why that might be?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michigan:
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Tom, Sorry to hear of Tree I have also recently lost a mushrooming friend of 20 yrs. I have read many books that refer to Tree, he will be missed. We have found blacks in Kzoo Co near the Kal Haven trail 85 on WED and another 400+ on Friday4/18/03. I have not been successful in St Joe Co MI. yet this year. Lets hope it is a wonderful year in honor of loved, temporarily misplaced hunting friends. We will hunt again!! Thank You Gary.
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: Re: sightings page. Hi, I'm Dan G me and my girlfriend Beverly C we went out looking today in one of our favorite spots, and we found a total of 31 blacks. They were so young they were a skin color. Now I've been hunting mushrooms most of my life and these were the freshest and youngest ones ever! not even one of them were over 3/4" quite a challenge. I think we are the first to report in Michigan: near Cedar Springs, located in Kent County Happy Hunting!!!!
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. Subject: Blacks in Southern Michigan. SHEP MOREL found 100 blacks on Sunday, April 20, 2003 and some everyday since then in Southern Michigan. Another year of hunting the elusive morel begins .
From: BUCKWILDMB Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. Subject: finally here. well the morels have finally arrived. found 40 small greys yesterday and hopefully with the weather warming up a bit, they will be out in full force next week. our hearts go out to Larry's family in this time of need. Shroom on my friend. Shroom on!! oh yeah, almost forgot. i am from mid michigan.
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 22:57:28 -0700. Subject: Mushroom Sightings (lack of). Hi Shroomers! My wife and I are very dissapointed in the Mushroom sightings (or lack there of) here in southwestern lower Michigan. We have not gotten hardly any rain needed for them to sprout. We haven't even found one yet! I hope this is not a repeat of last season, when it went from winter to summer without the pause for spring! Mike
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 01:09:15 -0700 (PDT). Subject: MI Report. 4/27. Michigan report, I'm in with two whites Kalamazoo Co. Date set for Ryn and Leroy's 8th anual mushroom camp May 8th through 12th held each year at northern Michigan's great merlin wall !!! Ryn
From: DIXIE S. Date: Fri, 02 May 2003 11:38:46 -0400. Subject: Mushroom sighting. May 1, 2003, my daughter, Kristi, found the first black morel of this season in the woods near Dansville, MI. It had just popped so we left it to grow. This weekend should be great with all the rain we had over the last 2 days.
From: Tricia. Date: Mon, 5 May 2003. Subject: Hello - Sightings. Hello! We are finding thumb size blacks in Southwest Michigan. We have found about 50 a day for the last week! Rain and warmer weather is looking good. May 5, 2003
From: Al. Date: Mon, 5 May 2003. Subject: michigan blacks found. Hello, found 350 small blacks Ionia county michigan in lower michigan on may4-5. they were hard to find in the leaves mostly in poplar groves with some oaks. very tasty. --- little shroomer
Date: Thu, 08 May 2003. Subject: Mushrooms here and gone (apparently). My wife & I finally found mushrooms here in southwestern lower Michigan. On Saturday May 3rd., we found between 8 and 9 lbs. of caps. On Sunday we found between 4 & 5 lbs. of greys and few caps an whites. On Monday we only found 12 caps total. We finally are getting the rain we needed here, but maybe it's too late as the undergrowth is very thick and wild. Has anyone heard about what's going on up around the Mesick area? This weekend is Mother's Day and "suppose" to be the big festival up in Mesick....??? Mike
From: Badladd. 5-6-03 I was out earlier today and found 52 blackies at a state park in Oakland county Michigan
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 13:11:46 -0700 (PDT). Subject: black morels. hello all, found 12 pounds (500) nice size blacks 2"-5" in the ionia county area on may 8th. also found 2 very small greys. it was a great day al h
From: Jeannie K. Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 23:24:25 -0400. Subject: Black morel, Cheboygan Michigan. Hi! I am a newbe to morel hunting. I went out looking in Cheboygan MI with my friend John (he knows where to find em!). We found four black morels, 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch, in the twenty minutes of time we had available to look with. Will hunt more next week!
Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 21:47:33 -0500. Subject: letter. Date 5-10 from jeff and patti went to lansing today and got rained on twice but it was well worth it we picked up over 5 lbs the mushrooms they were in there prime. got to go not much time left to hunt this year
Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 20:56:26 -0400. Subject: Morels. Well the hunt is on again here in MI. It seems strange that a bunch of grown-ups are running around the woods each spring looking for some fungus, but for me, it's one of the most enjoyable times of the year. Things are just starting to pop here. Some are gray, some are white and others are yellow. Still not having any luck with the blacks however. They must grow in a different type of habitat then I'm used to. I've seen at least one everytime I've been out so far. The first time was around week ago. I found one tiny gray. Every time since there's been more & more. We've had some good conditions here lately. Lots of rain and the weather is turning warmer. I've had some nice t-bone steaks with sautéed onions and mushrooms and some mushrooms just sautéed by themselves. Just getting ready to go and clean the bag I just came home with, probably around 30 - 40 mushrooms. By the way, today I picked only the shrooms which were 3 inches in height or greater. I'm going to give the others a few days to grow. Some were 1-2 mm in height. Marty in MI
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 08:27:35 -0000. Subject: Shep Morels updated find. May 12, 2003 SHEP MOREL has hit the 2,000 mark this season of hunting the elusive morel and still going strong in Southern Michigan. Will update later on his current progress.
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 19:36:47 GMT. Subject: mushrooms. From western Michigan, finding them in the poplars and the lower woods, blacks seem to be reappearing in same areas after the cool rains. Getting blacks that are at least 2 to 4 inches long. Just starting to see yellows in the Grand Rapids area. Friends reported getting grays and whites. It has been a wonderful year for the mighty Morel. (ag)
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 20:43:39 -0700 (PDT). Subject: Big Morel. Dear Tom, I am from Burr Oak Michigan. My fiancee found a gray moral that is 7 inches in height and 9 inches around. I am sending you a picture of my fiancee and the mushroom. He would like to know if you could send us pictures of some of the biggest mushrooms that you or any one else has found. Sincerely, Dana G.
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 10:05:51 -0700 (PDT). Subject: Morels found in Michigan. Hi, A friend of mine happens to have morel mushrooms growing in his Southfield, MI backyard. When he found out I never tasted these morsels, he sent a few to me. Now, I love mushrooms but have never had morels let alone any "wild" ones. I will venture to taste these culinary delights and if you have any suggestions, feel free to email me. Vickie
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 16:03:28 -0400. Subject: morels. Took my 3-1/2 year old daughter to one of my "hotspots" today. She found her first black morels. Though she only found seven (with a little steering) it was a start on what I hope is another great shrooming relationship with friends and family. Someday I'll probably regret showing her the spot because she's quite a little trooper and I foresee her beating me to "my" spot in the years ahead. Alpena.
From: Richard S. Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 16:06:47 -0400. Subject: update. Contacted you earlier when the black morels were first making their appearance in my area of Alpena, Michigan. Since then the picking has blossomed along with the black flies. Got our much needed mush rain. The bracken ferns are in their fiddlehead stage (supposedly good eating ) and there are trilliums flowering in the more protected areas. Asparagus spears are 4-5 inches. Came to the conclusion that I'll never find enough black morels for commercial picking but have managed to accrue a couple hundred thus far this week. They get eaten a lot quicker than they get picked. I don't usually find any whites until the end of May but I'm checking my spots to avoid friends and family beating me to them. Still haven't learned to keep my secret spots secret.
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003. Subject: Morels in Michigan. Hey Tom we're way up north in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan and morel season has just started. (not to many found yet) But as of Monday May 12 my boyfriend and I found about 50-60 blonde morels and today May 16 we stopped for a look and found 16 of the biggest morels I have ever seen, going back tomorrow for more. More rain is needed in most parts but found that deeper in the woods they are growing quite well. We are in the areas of Luce/Schoolcraft/Mackinac Counties. Happy hunting everyone cm in michigan
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003. Subject: Michigan morels. Hello from Michigan, I've been having a great year mushrooming. Picked over 80 qts in 2 days last weekend in Northern Lower Michigan. All were blacks except 8 or 10 small grays. They were anywhere from 2-4 inches. Found them mostly in the hardwoods and higher ground. We've had just enough rain to make this a good year. Whites should be up this weekend. Happy Shrooming to you all. Patti in Mid-Michigan
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003. Subject: My first Morel sighting. I am happy to report that today, 5/15/2003 @ 5:30pm CST I was able to find my first morel of this year's season. The elusive mushroom was just peering through the ground litter in an area which I had just come across. I left the Black morel in Dickinson County MI, as it was the only one located and a very small specimen at that. I hope you find the information useful. Dave I.
From: Greg W. Date: Mon, 19 May 2003 20:58:29 -0400. Subject: tons of morels. Date Monday May 19, 2003: Writing from northern MI in Charlevoix County. My wife and I went out a week on Thursday May 8th and found 48 mushrooms.We went every day after finding between 100 and 180 blacks. On That Saturday we found 200 and Sunday we got 360. Missed out this last Friday but spent the day Saturday and found 960 another 580 on Sunday. We have never spent this much time at hunting and it has been major fun. To date in 9 days of hunting we have found almost 3,000 mushrooms with just a few white ones starting to come on Sunday. My wife found one a bit larger than a soda can and we got several nice size ones as well.
Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 22:20:48 -0400. Subject: Morels - Lenawee Co. Found the week of May 19th10 Yellow morels, approximately 5 inches each in Lenawee County near Tecumseh. They look to be fairly young. Heidi B. Tecumseh, MI
Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 10:43:01 -0700. Subject: where are the whites? Wife and I went to our favorite mushroom hunting grounds this past weekend up in the hills of Mesick. We were so dissapointed! The week before we found nearly 150 blacks. This past week we only found 30 or so and no white morels to be seen! We are going up Memorial Weekend in hopes that the whites are up, but there has been little to no rain........ Mike.
Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 18:01:26 -0400. Subject: morel and friend. We're just about done down here in Manchester, Michigan now. Found about 350 this year. I did find a nice morel with a friend yesterday morning (see attached). I honestly didn't have the heart to harvest this one (next to fawn's right ear). The fawn just laid there and pretended it was invisible (much like many morels I've encountered over the years...LOL!) In memory of Larry Lonik, hunting mushrooms in heaven!!! Sue.
I attended the memorial service for Larry Lonik in Dexter last Sunday (June 1). Michael Murphy of Missouri (who was with Larry on April 15) took a walk in the woods and returned with 5 or 6 medium/large yellows. All had gone to spore and were inedible, but it was still a very fitting "Sighting" in memory of "Tree"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minnesota:
Great Minnesota Morel Festival - May 18th, 2003 - Information at www.redwing.org or call the Red Wing Visitors and Convention Bureau at 1-800-498-3444. Red Wing hosts full day of fungi fun celebrating our state mushroom, the Morel! Join us along the the banks of the Mighty Mississippi for a Sturdiwheat Pancake Feed, Mushroom Basics Boot Camp, guided forays and Myco Challenge - Morel Pickers Tourney. Music, fun, food, and tournament prizes!
Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 19:33:15 +0000. Shrooms!!! Found 23 little greys in Olmstead county, MN on May 8. They're Comin. Waldo
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 09:31:33 -0500. Subject: Minnesota Morels. Hi All, Found about 25 medium Greys in the Cannon Falls area on Friday 4/9 and 75 small medium greys and a few medium yellows in the Preston area. Lots of hunting. A few here and there. No "mother loads" !! Still looks like the larger groups are a week or so away for us here in MN. Warmer weather this week should get 'em poppin' !!! Good luck !! Jim from Cokato.
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 16:38:49 -0500. Subject: Twin Cities (MN) Morels. Ran out quick at lunch today and found 2 large grays, that looked like they'd been up for several days, just off the freeway in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis (Fridley). This warm, but not hot, spring should be excellent weather for a long and productive season here in MN !! Jim from Cokato
Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 11:39:40 EDT. Subject: MN morels. Dakota County Minnesota went out Tuesday afternoon 5/13 found 3/4 pound mostly small to medium grays, but did find 3 nice yellows-not bad for 30 minutes. Know that they just came up because I checked the EXACT spot on Monday-nothing. Found all in grassy areas mixed with prickley ash. Full sun. West and south facing areas. Taking this afternoon off should really hammer them. Good luck to all. DIGGER
Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 17:07:20 -0500. Subject: Morels in Minnesota. Kind of a slow start here, although plenty of rain. Found three choice grey morels on Saturday May 10 in Mendota Heights (SE St Paul metro area), on a south-facing slope in an old elm woods I have been picking for 12 years. Weather still quite cool, ground also cool. Teresa in Minnesota
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003. Subject: mn morels. Dakota county MN - went out again yesterday afternoon picked anothe 3/4 pound all grays except 1 5" yellow. Still in the grass mixed with that nasty prickley ash in areas with lots of sun. True mushroom hunters have cut up arms evidently. Sun is out today and will be thru the weekend. Don't miss this opportunity should be great over the weekend. DIGGER
From: CRAIG S. Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 15:24:34 -0500. Subject: mushrooms. i found 50 small morells in dakota and goodhue countys on may 13 also found a small grouping in washington county.
From: Wayne W. Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 15:41:44 -0500. Subject: sightings. Found 2 black morels today, May 18, about 12 miles north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Has been very dry this spring and we hope the promised rains come tonight. Have found a few blacks in the same mature aspen forest for the past 5 years. Have had a interesting spring, morel-wise. We spend winters in Texas and found a few yellows near Austin in mid-March. On our way north, we stopped in southwest Iowa, May 4, near Hamburg. We found about 2 dozen yellows and a couple of other hunters gave us 10 they had found. Today's find gives us morels from TX, IA, and MN this spring. Not very many but they still taste good. p.s. I also spent an hour this afternoon reading Michael Kuo's morel information. Most interesting and informative.
Date: Mon, 19 May 2003 17:20:45 -0500. Subject: MN morels. Wow it's been a good weekend in MN!!! Been going out every day-of course! Friday found 1 1/2 lb still in the grass-Dakota County. Saturday found some 3 - 5 inch yellows a little farther in the woods but still getting very good sun. Sunday went to Red Wing for the 1st annual MN morel festival. Great time and felt very welcome. Thanks to Bob with the Red Wing Convention & Visitors Bureau - great breakfast, hospitality, and crowd but the mushrooms didn't cooperate with me...ZERO!! But not all was lost - came back to the cities and found a nice mess. Today (Monday) we got over 1" of rain. Went out this afternoon and found 2lb - getting a few more yellows but still mostly grays. The sun is to come out the rest of the week and this moisture today should really help. I am hitting the asparagus very good also. DIGGER
Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 12:08:09 EDT. Subject: MN morels. Hittin the big yellow ones in my hot spot. Picked 2 1/2 pounds mostly 3 - 5 inch yellows last night after supper. Dakota County, MN, Minnesota River bottoms. Finding them in areas that get sun maybe 1/4 to 1/2 the day. Still in the grass but more in the shady areas. Same thing in the woods-find the elms and cottonwoods, and look for an area that is getting some sunlight. Going again today - up to over 14 pounds for the season! Good luck to all. DIGGER
Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 12:47:54 -0500. Subject: minnesota morel sightiings. I have been picking an unlimited quanity of Morel mushrooms in St. Paul, Minnesota. The largest single Morel I have seen was 1.25 pounds.....Yes 1 and 1/4 pounds! Rubbertramp
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003 17:44:08 -0500. Subject: MN Shrooms. Southern MN - Dakota County looks to be done. Last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were very good, but came back from the lake on Sunday and found none. BANNER YEAR (for me) - found 520 MN shrooms for the season; mostly large yellows. I bought your spore bag a few years back and I truly believe it is making a difference. It seems like I have more mushrooms in the same areas every year, and I believe it is because of the spore bag! Hunted Otter Tail County, MN this weekend for a couple hours but came up empty. I did talk to some people that were finding them so it must just be me. Great website - keep it going. Good luck to all. Talk to you next shroom season!!! DIGGER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mississippi:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Missouri:
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 11:51:51 -0600. Subject: Morels found in Louisiana Missouri. Tom, We had our first find of the season by Sally B. on 3/26/2003. She found 2 small gray morels. Sarah
From: Mark. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 Subject: MOREL SIGHTINGS in SE MISSOURI!! Had success this weekend. Found about 60 black morels on Saturday March 29, and 28 on Sunday, March 30 in Cape Girardeau County. Found them on the higher elevations, just off the top of hills on south slopes, southeast, and east facing slopes. Nearly all were found near dogwood-sassafras treecombinations. With rainy, warm weather in the forecast, they should be working their way down the slopes and to the north slopes this weekend. I've added a verse to the jingle one of my students came up with last year:
MUSHROOMS HIGH, MUSHROOMS LOW, GRAB YOUR STICK, AND OFF WE GO! LOOK TO THE LEFT, LOOK TO THE RIGHT, PICK THEM WHILE THEY'RE STILL IN SIGHT!
Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 12:34:14 -0500. Subject: More mushrooms!! They're up thick. Found 319 blacks and 5 whites this weekend in Cape Girardeau County, and we didn't even hit all the spots. It's been a good year for the blacks in this area. And here is yet another verse for the jingle:
BLACK ONES, WHITE ONES, ALL AROUND, JUST DON'T ASK ME WHERE THEY'RE FOUND! Mark
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Subject: Morels In Central Missouri. Well, I must say, it looks like it might be a pretty good year here in central Missouri. We found our first tiny grays on April 2nd. Nine tiny ones! And then, on April 5th, we found 519 grays & even yellows! Sounds like a lot of mushrooms, but they were so small that most would have to be sauteed instead of fried. But will be some good eating! Happy Hunting from. Mushroom Annie
From: Bill. Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Subject: Morels in SW MO. I've found about 10 small ones in SW MO close to Joplin. We're too close to Kansas.
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 07:37:30 -0700 (PDT). Subject: MO morel sightings. It's time and I'm headed to SW MO just north of Branson. My friend reports they are up. Also, my brother in law found 35 by Cabool, MO in the south central part of the state. Good warm temps this coming week and record snowfall last winter should make them pop for a great season. Luck to all--KC Suzi (a mushroom queen in my own mind)
From: Sue S. Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 09:29:49 -0500. Subject: Morel season is finally here! Central Missouri. We went out after work for 3 hours and came home with a total of 196. yellows/grays. We came upon an area that contained approx. 150-170 in just one area. WOW, THEY'RE OUT, LET THE HUNT BEGIN!
From: Dean W. Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 11:23:05 -0500. Subject: report. We found two dozen small blacks in Kansas City yesterday by the Missouri River 04/10/03
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 22:30:57 -0500. Subject: morel Sighting. SE Missouri, West Cape Girardeau, found many half-free morels, very small in size though. Looking to go back out tomorrow, another warm sunny day. Bg
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 15:34:59 -0500. Subject: missouri. i found a dozen black morels in my small back yard in suburban st louis, mo. lived here 3 years and never een thought i had a chance. i have a small backyard maybes 40+40' and almost all shade. neal t
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 21:00:09 -0500. Subject: morels in missoruri. Found three 3-4 inch tall yellows in Henry county Saturday, And 9 tiny greys and yellows closer to Cass County on Sunday. They are calling for rain possibly Tuesday- Friday with temps in the 60s-80s. we should (if we get rain) have plenty of mushrooms PRAY FOR RAIN!!!!!!! Tom in Creighton
From: Lee. Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 22:17:41 EDTSubject: Found first one in back yard March 31, Thursday 4/10 found a dozen 3 inchers in yard definitely tasty. live in St Louis and have them in back yard every year
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 15:10:16 -0500. Subject: morels in Missouri. Hi Tom this is another Tom in creighton , Mo. This morning Wed. the 16th we found 20 nice yellows and then later found 21 more.It's raining right now we're home drying off and heading back out . I think it might be a GOOD YEAR.Thank god for the rain
From: Michael F. Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 8:23 AM. Subject: Kansas city morels. April 15th in Kansas City Missouri. Found several dozen grays and yellows of decent size. Most were about 2 inches tall and very fresh. Although the ground here is as dry as a bone these mushrooms were in great condition. Storms moving through the area the next few days should make for some great times in the woods. I've heard and read all the stories and articles on weather or not mushrooms grow so to bring light to that question I left a small amount of 'shrooms to check back on in a few days. This is also an area that has produced for me in the past. Hi Michael, let us know the results of your experiment
From: thomas g. Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003. Subject: morels in mo. Tom ive noticed the last couple years after the season really hits nobody (myself included) evr seems to post to much any more .I wonder where they are and what they're doin ?????haha anyways this is tom in creighton , Mo again we found 83 more on Wed. afternoon and got very wet in the rain And found 30 more on Fri.I even had to give half of em to a nice old boy for him and his wife . I figure im having a good yr. whats 15 more? I hope everyone is enjoyin mushroomin as much as me. p.s. I'm very sorry to hear about your friend , Larry , He was truly the mushroom Guru!!!!! God bless all mourning his unfortunate death .
From: Michelle Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003. Subject: morels found!!!! Jethro couldn't wait, after a couple days of rain, and the sun peeking through the clouds here in Kansas City, so he packed up his Bronco, skipped work, and headed out. Location: K-32 highway on the North bank of the Kansas River.near the Grinter House. Results: Well, 'ol jethro had himself a spot of luck. I found four fist sized yellow morels in a leafy area with small sapling growth. They were very fresh just potted up. . I only had time to look for an hour, but betcha bottom dollar I be lookin' tomaree. All day! Wish I had a camera, but rest assured jethro will be havin' a nice steak and morel dinner tonite.
From: Family Pawn Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: morels. Central mo. BoCoMo Found 9-beautiful black morels. 3-4 inches,biggest I've seen yet! Not much time to look, but will be out all week.
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. I would love to receive your ink and paper catalog from 2003. I went Shroomin this weekend in Southwestern, MO and found roughly 125. A good mixture of grays, whites and blacks. Probably around 3lbs worth, so most were pretty good size. I used to hunt with my grandmother all of the time as a child, but have gotten away from it since moving to St. Louis. I have tried the last few years, but not very hard until this year and I am determined to get my share :-) I am just learning all of the lingo as far as the types go and enjoy your website and links that you offer. Thanks for the continuing education. Denna
From: lloyd. Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. ubject: morels in MIssouri. In central MO, Boone County, we found our first "little greys" by the river around April, 9. April 19 after rainshowers we found enough (of many types of morels) to eat and save for later. Today on the 22nd of April, several pounds of yellow morels on the river hills and even on the creeks that run through town. Tonight heavy rain, how will this rain effect the rest of this season?
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 16:09:35 -0500. Subject: Missouri shrooms. This Minnesota mushroom hunter just got back from NW Missouri. Found 102 big yellows on Friday around St Joe, Missouri; mostly in the river bottoms. S and W facing slopes the best; areas getting good sunlight. It was a great time - took a couple of MN rookies with and they even found some ! Good luck. DIGGER.
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 21:27:14 -0500. Subject: morel sightings in No. Mo. Dear Morel Mania, At first I would like to give you my deepest regrets on losing Larry, that is tragic. I just wanted to let you know I was out yesterday 3/22/03 in Northern Mo. (Sullivan County) and found about two dozen small yellow and mostly grey ones. The area I just checked usally produces some decent yellows but there still grey for now. I guess it's still a little early for that area to produce the bigger yellows. It is supposed to rain tonight and tommorow 3/24/03. I hope so and a good warm day or two and us here in the northern part of Mo. will be a little better off. I was never fortunate enough to find truck loads like some of you guys,lol. I'm pleased for a few cast iron skillets full though. 4/27/03 I went out again to my favorite little spot after our good rains we just had and I only found two !!!! I was pretty disapointed to say the least. I thought with the rain and sun I would realy find at least a few more than that, but that is always my luck. Bill
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003. Subject: Mushrooms in No. Mo. (Sullivan Co.). In regards to the last letter I sent you guys saying I got skunked the other day. Well me and my daughter went out yesterday (3-28) after she got off school, and we found 60 3"-6" yellows, mostly 3"-4" though. I went out this morning and got soaked for 6 small to med. yellows. In my area they seem to be towards the edge of the woods. Bill
From: Bev M. Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 23:35:03 -0500 (Central Daylight Time). Subject: morels in nw mo. found small greys and whites on the 22 of April. Should find the bigger ones in a few days need more sunshine. Gonna try to raise them in our greenhouse hope it works.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montana:
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 07:53:34 -0600. Found blacks in the pines around Missoula and in Thompson Falls area. The weather has turned cold and the Yellows are soon to come as soon as it warms. Rodney M.
From: Floyd G. Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 02:51:20 -0000. Subject: Here They Come. Went out today and found a few yellows here in Cascade County, Montana. They are a little on the small side, but they are starting to poke their heads out and say hi.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nebraska:
From: Denise. Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003. Subject: morels. found some near springfield nebraska
From: cap-am. Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003. Subject: first find. april 20 made first look the temp was 45 degrees but low and behold came home with two gallons od nice fresh ones 1 to 2 inches high cap am 2000 central neb
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003. Subject: SW Nebraska Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend Larry. May God grant you peace during this difficult time. River Valley - SW Nebraska. Found my first mushrooms for the year, yesterday (the 16th). It has been terribly dry here and last year wasn't as good as the two years before. I picked a small bag full yesterday - none of them were very big. Today I went out again and found about the same amount but they were a little bigger (2.5" tall was probably the biggest). If we can get another rain in the next week we will probably have some good picking! Good luck to all! Thanks for your site - have been contributing since 98 and look forward to the season each year! Best wishes, Nathan
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. Subject: found mushrooms. Hey, this is my first time ever finding mushrooms. My son and I were out turkey hunting up around Fremont NE, and decided to try to locate the mystical morel. It must be because my son is so much closer to the ground but he located a group of three morels and while picking them we must have seen about three more dozen in little clusters here and there. All in all I bet we must have picked close to a pound and a half to two pounds worth. We are hoping the rain helps sprout more of them soon. Thanks, Tab N.
From: Chad Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. Subject: Sighting. April 19th, 2003. NE Nebraska along the Missouri River near Yankton, SD. Could not believe it, but found 5 areas and picked about 120 small to medium size greys. Very fresh and found primarily around cotton woods that were cut down this last year. Found 1/2 around just one very large tree base. Good luck to all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Hampshire:
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 21:09:24 -0400. Subject: NH Morels. I live on a dirt road in Hollis, NH and found morels last year by the side of road in leaf litter and some poison ivy. This road runs north and south and they are on the sunny side of the road. Picked about 5 on 5/12/03 and can see another 8 ready to pick tomorrow. Carol M. S.
Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 19:55:52 -0400. Subject: NH Morel. May 26 2003 Found my first morel of the season in south west NH, and what a find! One single yellow over 8" high and 2 1/2" in diameter. Found in new location under dead elm. Usual spot not producing anything yet. I'm hoping the rains will bring a plenty. John
Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 18:53:26 -0400. Subject: Mother load. Found another 3 lbs of HUGE (7-9" tall and 2-3" diameter) yellows in Sothwest NH.....All on elms. Seems as if the rain has really kicked them into gear. John
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Jesey:
From: kathigale Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. Subject: I think I found a yellow morel. In my front yard. I thought it was a bee hive of some sort, then I did some searching on the net and found that they are rather rare. Funny, I really love mushrooms and it's cool that this one just popped up in my front yard. Can you give me some information that would help more grow? I live in Gloucester County, NJ. (South Jersey) Sorry, I don't have any way to send a picture of it. I don't have a scanner or digital camera. Hi kathigale, Congratulations! First of all be sure it looks something like the pictures on this "Sightings" page. A true morel has three characteristics: 1. spongelike cap. 2. when sliced in half the entire mushroom is hollow - both cap and stem. 3. the cap and stem connect to one another at the base of the cap. In other words , the stem only goes up to meet the cap at the base of the cap rather than up inside the cap. You may want to visit some of our information pages. Let me know if I can be of further service. Tom
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 12:09:18 -0400. Subject: sighting 5/11. Location: Mercer County, New Jersey, 10 miles from Delaware River. Found a few 2-3" yellows near ash trees, in moist but not mushy ground near a creek. Hope this isn't the tail end of the season! It's tough to beat the deer to them in this area. This transplanted Nebraskan longs for the fertile foraging grounds of his youth. -Slim
From: Justina. Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2003 21:56:12 EDT. Subject: nj findings. greetings and salutations from nj ( 30 miles west of nyc). We have had a very late spring this year and crazy cold weather.I had found about 20 nice blonds the on the 12th of may and was excited to see that the morels were finally sprouting then it became cold again and figured that was it, the morels season is ruined but today june 1st my husband and i went walking thru the paths of our favorite morel spots and found about 3 lbs. of blonds and for the first time in 5 years we also found alot of blacks. i was suprised because its late in the season and also we have had only a few days of sunshine were the temp stay around 70 for 3 days, then major rain for the last past 3 days. we found most of them along a path all on a hillside ,nothing on flat ground, under tulip poplar trees. it was funny because we have never found them befor on the hills, alway along the paths on flat ground. (maybe i just never bothered to look on the hills, i will now). oh well if it drys up and stays in the 70s, ill be out looking again later in the week, just want anyone on the east coast in my area, dont give up, they are out there so check your hunting spots, morel season is not over for us, maybe just beginning. happy hunting,.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York:
From: ROBERT O. Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 10:29:27 -0400. Subject: NY morel sighting. Sunday, May 4 2003. We found 18 large morels growing in a wet woods along the Hudson River, about 20 miles south of Albany NY. The woods was dominated by large, old red oak, sycamore and hemlock, with the occasional run of poplars. These were growing on soil disrupted by roots of a fallen tree that had been down for about 2-3 years, and at the sunny edge of an opening in the woods. They appear to be esculenta sp., although these have not yet appeared in the usual places in which we find them (so far only the early morel and some gyromitra sp. there). It has been cool (29 deg this AM), and so the season should be a bit retarded this year. Also, last year saw a long drought in the area, and I'm wondering if this will affect the crop in spite of plentiful snow and rain this winter and spring. These guys must be precocious individuals.
Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 13:10:41 -0400. Subject: False morels in upstate NY. I was just south of Watertown NY this weekend ( Watertown is just south of Canada near late Ontario). The wood were full of False Morels. I picked a bunch for identification. After visiting your page, I've decided not to eat them - although I have eaten them in Finland. The observation that climate may have an effect on the False Morels toxicity it compelling. Although I saw literally dozens of False Morels, I did not encounter and 'real' morels. So my question is: is there any relationship between when False Morels come up and when the real one do? Do False Morels come up before, after, or at the same time that Morels come up? If the answer is at the same time, then head for the woods near Watertown, they are full of Morels! Bernie
Date: Tue, 6 May 2003. Subject: New York Sighting. 5/3/03 - A little late, but they have finally appeared in Rockland County New York. A bunch of us found a few dozen under Tulip trees. Many were Morchella Semilibera, although a few nice Esculentas were found as well. They're just Starting to poke through the leaves. Should be great in a week or so as things warm up. They were delicious in. Omelettes! Happy Hunting to all! - Mark
Date: Thu, 8 May 2003. Subject: NY sighting. Just had some of the fifty beauties i found yesterday, 5-7. I am located in Mid Hudson valley south of Saugerties. Season is late this year. Morels were half greys, half yellows, most two to four inches. Old reliable spots are just sproutiong a couple of small ones, but weather is perfect, and it should be a good if late season. Happy hunting to all from shroomer Dave!
Date: Thu, 8 May 2003. Subject: 2003 sighting - NY. Went out yesterday (5-7-03), Found 115 Blacks, 1 Yellow and a few semilibras. This is the first I have looked since last tuesday (4-30-03)- There were none up then. Looks like it will be another good year although the season is late here in Northern Westchester County, New York. Stopped by the deli on my way to the house and they weighted in at 2.7 Lbs. Lots of rain last night so this weekend should be pretty good. Happy Hunting! - Chris
Date: Thu, 8 May 2003. Subject: N Y sighting. Found about fifty, 2 - 5 inches tall, half of 'em greys, other half yellows, on 5-7-03. Season is late, but ground looks excellent, and weather has been moist and drizzly, in a word, perfect, so I'm still VERY optimistic. Checked all my hot spots, but none popped yet, only the fifty I found in a new spot I scouted this past winter. Going out the minute this mail is sent to re-check. Happy hunting to all, from shroomer Dave, south of Saugerties in the Mid Hudson Valley.
Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 21:51:50 -0400. Subject: Upstate NY morels. Found these three yesterday afternoon in the old orchard on our property in Schoharie, NY. A closer look today revealed another dozen or so more tiny morels emerging from the ground. The woods have been covered in false morels for about the past week, but these are the first true morels I have found this year. Ryan
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 21:34:25 -0400. Subject: Date 5/8/03 Morels up! A number of blacks are up in my back yard (woody)! Same as last year though not same exact spots. Where? Upstate New York near New Lebanon. Oh joy! - H.S
From: Leonard V. Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 06:00:13 -0400. Subject: finding some finally. Upstate N.Y., starting to find some yellows around the Seneca Falls area. About a dozen last evening. The first of the season. Hopefully the start of many more to come!.
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 10:30:08 -0400. Subject: morel sightings in NY. Rockland County New York. On May 12, I found 27 3-5 inch yellow morels growing around apple tree stumps in a local orchard. They were healthy and clean. They were also delicious in a cream sauce over asparagus! Peter
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003. Subject: Morel in my yard? I live in the mid-Hudson Valley of NY, about 120 miles due North of NYC. I found this fungus in my yard, looks like a true black morel. Here's some pics. Found it today, May 15, 2003. We have two American Elms in our yard, I read that the morel is associated with these trees. Mike
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003. Subject: NY sightings. It's been one of the better seasons in recent years here in the mid hudson valley south of Saugerties New York. I've averaged two hundred beauties a day for the last five days, 5-9 to 5-14. They've been mostly esculenta, with about a third augusticeps, very meaty this year, four to five inches average, with some seven inchers and even a few bigger. Best hauls were in three overgrown (understatement) orchards I prospected over the winter. Haven't seen many just popped, could be season is winding down. If so it was late, short, and sweet. Supposed to rain tonight, and stay cool, so we'll see. Ate the biggest ones stuffed with parm and bacon tonight. Man, these are sure some tasty shrooms!!!!!
From: Dan R. Date: Thu, 15 May 2003. Subject: 2003 sightings. 5/15/2003 Tons and tons of black morels this year- I haven't tried them so I guess they'll just keep growing. The woods are filled with yellows here in Syracuse NY, I've picked a few dozen so far to eat, but theres way more out there than I know what to do with - I've still got some dried ones leftover from last year!Happy Hunting!
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 17:36:05 EDT. Subject: morel update. western ny. genesee county. first morels of the year after a 2 day rain spell. 2-3 inches high and 1-2 across. can send pics after first harvest. 63 found on site last year( 5-5-02 thru 5-24-02). overgrown apple orchards lightly cleared of brush. smd 1024.
From: Smd. Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 14:16:41 EDT. Subject: Re: morel update. May 26, 2003 NY. Genesee County. Overgrown apple orchards. 57 at last count.
Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 21:20:35 -0400. Subject: morel findings. I live about 10 minutes south of Lake George, New York. For the past two weeks, we've found a lot of both black and yellow morels. On May 28, my son found an 8-inch yellow morel growing in our neighbor's yard. Julie H
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:47:25 EDT. Subject: Morel Sightings. May 4-10, Akron, OH 44321. May 18-27, Bristol, NY (about 10 miles South of Canandaigua, SE of Rochester). Just found the MorelMania site. Great job! You've answered many of my Morellish questions! Best, Matt M.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Carolina:
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 18:43:54 -0400. Subject: First Smoky Mt.Sightings. Mark and Marina R., Cherokee, NC. These were found today, Sunday, 4/6/03. Rattlesnake Mt.,Swain County of the Cherokee Indian Reservation, In the Great Smoky Mt.s in Western North Carolina.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Dakota:
Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 15:19:03 -0500. Subject: North Dakota. Happy to report that North Dakota is reporting . Went to the turtle mountains on the border on 5/20. Found 55 yellow and blacks in about an hour. all around one dead aspen in the grass. Nice size 3" to 5" Going back up this saturday with my Wife and four girls should make a killing. wish me luck... Ed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ohio:
From: "Top Dogs- Craig & Tammi". Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 13:08:53 -0500. Subject: HUNT. Annual Ross County Sportsman and Wildlife Association Mushroom Hunt. April 26th, 2003. SIGN UP IS FREE. Sign up starts at 8:00 a.m. Check in at 3:00 p.m. Held at new location. Ross County Sportsman club house, Musselman Mill Road, Chillicothe, Ohio (watch for signs) Soup, Hot Dogs, Pop available - Donations accepted. can e-mail questions to topdog2@bright.net
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 16:29:29 EST. Subject: Morel sighting - Ohio. This is Dave R. I just got back in from 12 miles east of Chillicothe, Ohio. I found 15 black morels that ranged from 3/8 to 3/4 inch tall. (I left most of them there to grow up!) They're just getting started and we're expecting perfect conditions for the next few days. I'll go out again on Friday and should have a mess for dinner! You'll find a picture of four of them attached to this e-mail. Let the madness begin in Ohio!!!
From: Stanley S, Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2003 13:58:46 -0800 (PST). Subject: ramps/wild leeks. No mushrooms yet, but did find some Ramps/Wild leeks.Central ohio.
Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 12:06:27 -0800. found 2 blacks in north eastern Ohio,humidity great temps alittle cool Thanks, Kelly
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003. Subject: Morel sighting - Ohio. This is Dave R again. Against my better judgement, I went hunting even with the cold weather we've had for the past week. I came home with 16 black morels up to 3-1/2" tall from 12 miles east of Chillicothe, Ohio!!! Things should get real good when the weather warms up later this week. I can't wait!
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 20:26:29 EDT. Subject: morel findings. 4-12-03. Found 20 blacks from 3/4 inch to 2 1/2 inches, Tar Hollow, Ohio. Supposed to have nice weather this week, should be good next weekend. Happy Huntings! Bryon T. (the mushroom man)
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 10:23:44 EDT. Subject: No Morels Yet. Hi Tom, I went out to my best Blacks spot, looked dry and has been a little cold. I've been hunting morels all my life of (43 years) the most we've ever found was 110 lbs in northern MI. I'm reporting from south east OH, Montgomery County. I will keep you informed. Happy Hunting!!! Larry. Hi Larry, My friends in Michigan tell me that is how they know it is time to begin . . . when the see all the vehicles with Ohio license plates parked along the road ; )
From: Mike. Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 10:34:46 EDT. Subject: first morel. found first sponge april 13, my birthday in woods behind house in milford ohio (northeast of cincy) was dark brown right next to elm tree looking for more this afternoon.
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 21:23:47 -0400. Subject: Hello from Ohio. 4/14/03. Hi, I've probably glossed over your site a few times in the past few years, and have gotten a kick out of some of the board postings :) I've not seen a hint of morels yet in the southwestern Ohio region for 2003, there hasn't been enough of a warm spell yet. Haven't been in Fayette county yet but will be in about 1 1/2 weeks. I have one question- is there any activity near Trotwood in Dayton (Madison County) ? I am going to start searching in this area, but no one seems to be interested in the subject, from the questions I've asked from the locals. Apparently there is a lot of Sycamore here, and cedar. I've seen quite a few elm, but it is still a bit early due to the frosting & the late 30 degree weather. I actually live in Clinton county, but I don't hunt here. ( LOL ) actually, I really do not hunt here. Although I've heard the Cowan Lake area is productive, I have other places that I find to be better. Feel free to post anything I've said, I'm comfy in protecting my private hunting spots. Thanks for providing the site !!! Scott
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003. Subject: Ohio Sighting. Tom, 18 April, 2003 in Miami County, Ohio. I had just been in a new spot for about 10 minutes when my two daughters and I spotted 2 half-free morels. We got on the cell phone to thumb our noses at my wife, who is out of state at the moment. While on the phone, the girls found 4 more, for a total of six. Thought we were in for quite a day, but that was it. Found them in a patch of level timber, where the may apples are well established and the wild flowers have taken off. Just got some rain today, but it is supposed to cool off again, so who knows if we will have a decent season or not. Todd
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003. 4/20/03. Found 127 greys on a north facing hillside in Knox township, Vinton county, Ohio, today. Some quite small, some 4-5 inches. Most really fresh. Mark
From: Kelzdad. Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003. Subject: 4-20-20 pike county, ohio. walking around an area being select-cut on my property, i found 5 whites growing just underneath the crest of a ridge. i'm ready to roll now. supposed to go tomorrow w/buddy larry and now have high hopes.
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003. Subject: sighting I found my first grey in my front yard next to the mulch we put down last year. Was about 2" high. Spotted it looking out the window. I live in Piqua , Ohio(30 miles N. of Dayton) Still pretty dry here but with the rain coming they should be popping soon. Karen V
Date: Friday April 18 From Mark P: Sad to here about Larry Lonik. Met him a couple of years ago at the Trail of Tears lodge. He was very knowlegable and very giving in is information about "Morels". He will be sorely missed. Found a few grays (5) in central "Ohio" (Champaign County) that are "thumb nail size" and will be picking size in a day or two . Rained here overnight and conditions are just starting to get optimal.
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: More Greys. We have been finding more greys in our area. We live in Piqua (30 miles north of Dayton Oh) We found about half in our front yard . In 2 days we have found about 38, some were not real big as you can see. Karen V
Found 7 Blacks and 2 small spikes in Miami Township, Ohio... South of Dayton... This rain should help but the cold weather won't break till this weekend. Joe D
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: Ohio Morels. I found a dozen or so morels Tuesday morning "somewhere in Clermont County". They were a mix of blacks and half free mushrooms. I'm "gimped" up on my foot, so I can't get to my favorite spots. I found them while walking along a road... Regards, Marty C
From: barb. Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. Subject: morels. Hi from Clinton County Ohio...My husband and I found 25 grey morels on April 21st, and around 40 spikes on April 22. The greys were pretty small, but around here if you leave em the next guy doesn't, so we picked em..Agree with Scott from Clinton County...not much in Cowan Lake park, but do know that there are spots in that area where they are prolific..go figure
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. Subject: South Dayton, Ohio.. Miamisburg. Tuesday evening, 4-23...Found about 15 small spikes on North facing hill, walked over to my "sure" spot and found 3 gorgeous Morels.. This morning, 4-24 went to a local park and cleaned up on 22 very nice Morels as well... Lets the Games Begin!!!!!! Thank you, Joe D .
From: Buddywisor. Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 13:38:41 EDT. Subject: morels in n.w.ohio. a co-worker found 6 greys about 2 inches tall over by bloomdale, ohio thursday april 24th
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 08:37:52 EDT. Subject: Pike co, Ohio Update, Red False. Couple of things to report: Larry and I went on the 21st to one of my favorite hilltops. we each found 2 lbs. each (sorry didn't count mine). Mostly blacks and all of which had been up for a while. We only found 4-5 fresh ones. As this is one of our most productive areas for blacks it may be too late for many more. There were 8-10 whites and all were fresh. Part 2 of the story deals with a minor education i gained from this site. On the 24th I hunted a spot behind our local bowling alley 'just for the heck of it'. Used to be an old pallet mill alongside Crooked Creek. I thought i might find some whites as this is in the Scioto river flood plain. After harvesting a Prostaff #3 golf ball I looked around for others (they grow from 'mats' as well) I spied a large reddish brown glob. There were four Gyromitra Caroliniana growing, each about the size of a softball. I picked them for show and tell and was scientifically curious as to the reaction they would bring in the bowling alley cocktail lounge (think beer trough) because there is an abundance of expert opinion on tap. Now i was armed with the knowledge (99% sure) that these were Red False Morels based upon Morel Mania's related pictures/articles and Mushroomexpert.com's more scientific pictures/articles I had read only the day before! I also knew the apparent debate over edibility. The responses ranged from "What the @$#% are those" and "I'll eat em" to a bleary eyed stare. The former response was the norm. All found them interesting and most were disappointed but agreed that we shouldn't eat them. Upon finding out I wasn't going to batter them and pop 'em in the deep fryer the "I'll eat em" faction quickly teamed with the bleary eyed starers and a fairly sullen time was had by all. Someone stole the Prostaff. The major point being is that thanks to this site and Mushroomexpert.com I knew what I had. Prior to Wednesday those red blobs could have been Equine Poopus as easily as Gyromitra Caroliniana. I personally would never eat something that hadn't been confirmed by others I trust. Not to say that had I grown up around regular consumption of False Reds I wouldn't eat them - they were beautiful and massive but I'm not starting now. Anyway, thanks for the information and especially your forum. If I find any more False Reds, I'll repeat this experiment at the true local Mushroom HQ for Pike County, The Grove. The only modification will be in product delivery: I'll throw them in the door and observe from outside! Good huntin all! Tim
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 20:40:29 -0400. Hello all, ...The shrooms are up in ashland co , ohio.....Brother and myself found 68 so far.....We would have found more, but someone else beat us to em......Oh well, Early bird gets the shrooms...Goin out tomorrow to hopelly find a bunch more......We need some rain.....Happy shroomin all !!!!!! --- james w.
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 09:24:37 -0400. Subject: Morel Report. South Dayton, Ohio. Cleaned up on every species this weekend...Saturday afternoon; 27 Snake Heads; 8 Blacks; 6 Grays; 4 Yellows... Sunday, hit 5 baseball size yellows..... I was told Ohio's season may be like this, all of them up at the same time...Any comments welcome... Thank you, Joe D.
From: Top Dogs- Craig & Tammi. Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003. Subject: Re: hunt results. Pictured here are the winners of the 2003 Annual Mushroom Hunt held by the Ross County Sportsman and Wildlife Assoc. on April 26 We had a total of 56 people register to hunt. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU! From left are; Mike Hedrick,(first place, most mushrooms) Joey Demint,(first place youth, biggest & second place youth most ) Twana Demint,(first place biggest mushrooms) Patty Gifford,(second place most mushrooms) Jessica Miller,(winner scavenger hunt) George Terry Jr.,(first place youth, most &second place youth biggest) John Potts (second place biggest mushroom)
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003. Subject: Morel sighting - Dayton, OH area.
Hello all! I finally found my first find of the year! :) Our very lucrative spot was torn down by construction a few years ago and we have been desperate for a new spot but nothing compares. Anyway, throughout the new houses that they built, some small areas of woods remain. And today I tromped my happy butt right through their yards and to "my woods", lol. It was half dark when I got there but I still managed to find 7 sponges! 6 were yellows, believe it or not, and 1 grey. All of them were only 1" to 2" tall including the stem, but heck, I'm happy. I am quite confused though about why I found baby yellows but no blacks or spikes - maybe it was too dark to notice them? Well this is my post so far, and if anyone in the Dayton area knows a good spot that they don't hunt anymore PLEASE let me know.......Thanks :) Thia <Lexysmommie99@aol.com> Can you add my email to the sightings page? I am in the Dayton area in Miami Twp. and the mushrooms were found in Washington Twp.
From: Rick. Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 21:04:59 -0400. Subject: shrooms rising. Hi ya'll. Trickster here to let you know the greatest mushroom in the world is up and doing well right now in Adena, Ohio. The nice warm rain that just came through will produce conditions for a record harvest this year. It's 9:00 PM and you can hear the the mushrooms cracking through the ground. Better get my bags and get ready to do some serious walking & carrying. Bye now, have a good season! Be safe & careful.
From: Todd N. Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 17:18:54 -0400. Subject: central ohio [Lancaster]. Found these on the 21st of April. This was the first good batch for a quick hunt.
Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 14:34:55 EDT. Subject: Ohio Morels. Went out Saturday 4/27 with Dad and Grandpa. Went to our spot in Guernsey Co. Found 40 greys in the spot that produced the largest morels I've ever seen last year. I'll be hitting that spot again this weekend. Some appeared dry. Then came home (Medina County) and hit some spots passed down to me from the family elders. Found 21 small greys. Gave them all to the elders due to finding the 40 earlier in the day and their graciousness of passing down the spot. It's still early here in Medina County so I'll be hitting it again this weekend. Brett.
From: Karen V. Date: Sun, 4 May 2003 10:07:06 -0400. Subject: Big Yellows are out. These were found in some woods across from the river in Miami County. The largest one was 9" tall They were all pretty good sizes. Really popping around here. The rain really helped.
From: Osurocko. Date: Tue, 6 May 2003. Subject: Mushrooms, Richland County Ohio. Hope I am doing this right. Went out tonight after work and found a few huge yellows. Several others also. I am sending a picture. Love the web site
From: LarWich. Date: Tue, 6 May 2003. Subject: Finley found some. Well, it finely happened today my brother and I checked our favorite woods again. But today when we got home we had a variety pack with 30 shrooms in all. Some blacks.grays,yellows and browns. We are going to check another woods tomorrow and will let you know how we did.we are located near youngstown Ohio
From: Neil. Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 08:15:38 -0700 (PDT). Subject: N.E. Ohio. May 3rd. Sandy's Scouts are hard at work. We found 52 grays and yellows in Ashtbula county - a bit over one pound. As of may 8th we also picked about 3/4 lb. in various woods in Summit Co. including 15 half-frees. Heading back out for more in the days to come. Good luck to all you N.E. Ohio shroomers!
Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 16:57:05 -0700. Subject: last finding of the year went out for about 3 hrs and only found 3 old dried yellows on 5-9-03. i'm pretty sure this is the end of the season. we found them just north of franklin county, ohio. best of luck to anyone north who is still lucky enough to continue hunting! GO BUCKS!!!, Scha4one and Fat
From: chadw. Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 21:48:18 -0400. Subject: Ohio mushrooms. How 'bout these for morels?We found them "somewhere in Clermont County". I think it was the first week in May. We only picked the small ones Bwahahaha!!!
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 22:47:25 EDT. Subject: Morel Sightings. May 4-10, Akron, OH 44321. May 18-27, Bristol, NY (about 10 miles South of Canandaigua, SE of Rochester). Just found the MorelMania site. Great job! You've answered many of my Morellish questions! Best, Matt M.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oklahoma:
From: Carolyn M. Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 10:43:17 -0600. We found one. Lincoln County, Oklahoma, we found our first very small gray, we are getting very excited to get on the hunt. We will see you in may at the big hunt in Illinois.
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 18:08:41 EST. Morels in Oklahoma. I found 5 morels in central Oklahoma near the South Canadian River on Mon., 3/17/03. This is the earliest that I have ever them here, but the weather has been so warm (above 70 for 5 or 6 days in a row), I figured I could find a few. Two more weeks and there should be a bunch. JKS Oklahoma
From: King. Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 23:14:22 EST. 21 small to medium reds.osage county ok.
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 15:25:25 EST. Subject: mushrooms. Hi this is S .KING from oklahoma .We found some small whites here in washington co .sat 22 march of 2003 at 4 oclock pm.
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 21:41:38 -0600. Rodney & Sandy Paden of "The National Morel Mushroom Hunters Association" picked 51 small gray's on March 20th, Southern Oklahoma. They left the smaller ones to grow until next week. Saturday LeRoy & Judy picked 7 raisin size x-small gray's & left the rest to grow in Central Oklahoma.They are in protected area's that are expecting more rain. Judy
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 07:22:51 -0800. Subject: Morels. Went to a place 40 feet off the road in the town where I live where I've found 5-7 (total) in the last 3 years. One 2" gray was poking through the leaves! It's time to hit the woods!!! Found in south central OK. Kevin
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 16:35:32 EST. We went looking again today and ran upon 8 reds here in washington co oklahoma , MONDAY MARCH 24 2003 , 4OCLOCK PM. S.KING
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 06:37:28 -0800. Subject: grays. a cousin and I found 73 grays Tuesday in south-central OK. Kevin
From: Randy M. Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 17:55:32 -0800 (PST). Subject: Oklahoma Find! Found 61 today mostly small grays but some yellows!! Just east of Midwest City OK.
From: J. KING. Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 21:24:39 EST. found 18 reds. 6 were pretty good size.hopefully whites, yellows & blacks close behind. need more rain & warmer night temps.osage co. oklahoma
Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 17:13:59 EST. Subject: Oklahoma Morels. We found 13 good sized yellow morels SE of Wanette along the South Canadian River. All were in good shape and looked like they hadn't been up very long. Good luck MrDtired
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003. hello this is j. king.yesterday me, s. king & a friend from kansas found14 new ones. those added to the 18 i found on the 26th & left to get bigger made a good mess. still need more rain!! good luck to all.j. king osage co. oklahoma
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003. Subject: Morels. Found 25 baseball sized yellow Morels in central Oklahoma near the South Canadian River. It may not seem like that much, but they weighed almost 4 pounds total! Good luck all! JKS Oklahoma.
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003. found 13 reds today.still need rain.j.king osage co.oklahoma
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2003. Subject: Grey Morels up in West Tulsa. Sun. March 30, 2003 - 4:00 p.m. Found 14 greys and 1 medium Yellow just west of Tulsa. The big Yellows should be up by next weekend. Good Hunting! JSH
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 23:55:10 -0500. Subject: morel find. April 1, 9 yellow 2 grey tulsa area. buckeye dave
From: Kugradu. Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 11:26:11 -0500. Subject: Morel finds in OK found a bakers dozen in Broken Arrow (just south of Tulsa) 8 yellows and 5 whites.
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 15:15:28 -0600. Subject: morels Date: Tuesday, April 2 2003. Found 5 yellow morels today in Stillwater, OK. With a little rain and the current temperatures, they should start coming up. Can't wait. B.Franklin
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 12:46:29 -0600. Subject: Northeastern Oklahoma. Monday, March 31, 2003 13 gray Morels were found by Bob in Northeastern Oklahoma... kent
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 16:28:12 EDT. Subject: The Motherlode find in Central Okloma on April 4 and April 5, by Father and Son. I just flew home from Columbus, Ohio to see my dad and mom in central Oklahoma. I flew out Thursday, April 3rd. Dad and I planned on going to hunt shrooms on Friday April 4th and Saturday April 5th. I have hunted mushrooms in Ohio for about 6 years now and have had some nice finds. I have read about all the great Mushrooms in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Let me say this for the record. I will put OKLAHOMA up against any state when it comes to "huntin shrooms". (If you don't believe me, look at the pics I have attached). I really didn't know what we were both in store for the 2 days of shroom hunting but we soon found out,,,This past weekend is a weekend that I will always remember and if you are true MUSHROOM hunter then you will be envious big time. It was even better because we got to do this as Father and Son. I am 27 years old and dad is 51, and he can keep up all day long....Let me cut to the chase....We found a total (hand counted to prove) of 925 Mushrooms in 2 days in central Oklahoma...That is right, we found about 25 pounds worth of mushrooms in two days,,,,,,,,.The pics speak for themselves.....Great Website and thanks for listening to this story.....Gary Jr. and Gary Sr. PS,,,,Pic One is the first day find of 575 SHROOMS and pic two is the second find of 350 SHROOMS,,,,
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 19:27:45 -0700 (PDT). Subject: first find of year. looking for two weeks-- my first find today: a solitary "white", perfect condition, 3-4 inches tall, Creek county, Ok. creekside in sycamore grove. There's got to be more! -- dean m., tulsa, ok.
From: Andrew V. Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 10:40:45 -0600 (MDT) Subject: NE Oklahoma Morels. Visited Delaware County (NE Oklahoma) to hunt morels April 4,5 - only found three yellows around Lake Eucha after significant effort. The consensus from myself and other hunters I ran across was that they were not up in great numbers in the area yet. The area got some rain as I was leaving on Sunday April 6 so maybe that will do the trick. Good luck to all. I'll be waiting for the Colorado season to start. A. Voss. Denver, CO
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Subject: More Morels in West Tulsa, OK. Thurs. April 3 and Sat. April 5, 2003 Found 20 yellows and greys during a light sprinkle on Thurs. Found approximately 70 yellows and blacks on Saturday. With lots of rain on Sat. night and cooler temps for the first part of the week, this coming weekend should produce a bumper crop. Good Hunting! JSH
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Subject: tulsa area getting started. found eight esculenta in Bixby area yesterday (south Tulsa). 3 were mature, the rest slightly immature. Most were in grassy places on edge of woods (sunny spots}. Still finding none north or west of tulsa. I hope the results in central Ok. migrate this way--after this cold spell. dean m. -- tulsa
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 21:54:45 -0500. Subject: Shroom Sighting. A friend (who had never seen mushrooms in the wild) and I found 27 yellow morels on April 9 in central Oklahoma (right in Oklahoma City). We had had several days in the 70's and I wanted my friend to see for himself. First ones he ever ate, too. He loved them and I believe we'll be going back for more. Happy Hunting! Bob from Midwest City, Ok
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 00:47:34 EDT. OH YES!!found 84 good ones today. j.king osage co.oklahoma
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 17:16:07 -0700 (PDT). Subject: morels in tulsa area. still finding small numbers of morels around tulsa area-- fri. 4/11 4 small ones in tulsa city limits; 6 in bixby area. today, 6 near Okmulgee (banks of red fork river). all of these under mixed hardwoods. dean m., tulsa
From: John. Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 20:21:50 -0500. Subject: Is this a morel? This is my first attempt at morel hunting in 30 years. I found your site when I returned to the house. I found these North of Tulsa today. The little yellow/white one is the kind we gathered in the old days. The big red one seems to be a relative. Can you tell me what it is? I would like a quick answer, as I left several like it in the woods. This was the smallest. If these are edible, I will go back and get the others tomorrow. I will make an entry in your sightings page after I identify the red mushroom. I hope it is a good one, as this was the smallest of about 6 or 8 that are growing under an old dead oak tree. Hi John, The picture at the right (yellow one) is a true edible morel. The first two pictures are of a Gyromitra Caroliniana, which is one of the "false" morels. All true morel have three characteristics: They have the sponge cap, they are completely hollow (the gyromitra isn't hollow, as per the second picture), and the cap and stem are connected to each other at the base of the cap. I would not eat it, although many people would. We had a complete discussion on the Sightings page a week ago. You can see it in the Arkansas postings at http://www.morelmania.com/site03.html#anchor8452235
From: Dean M. Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 15:19:09 -0700 (PDT) Subject: more in tulsa. found 6 in tulsa today in beautiful condition despite 80+ degree temps and strong winds past few days. these m. esculentae were growing on or near gravel paths and grass on north side of steep hill (protected from south wind).
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003. Subject: (no subject). went out yesterday not really expecting to find any.to dry.but, found 14 yellows by fallen electrical poles.we got a real good rain last night & this morning.so hopefully they'll really be a poppin in a day or so.j.king osage co.oklahoma.
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003. Subject: Oklahoma season over or just gettin hot? found a single yellow on creekbank today in Guthrie, oklahoma (Logan County). In a spot that usually produces fair numbers. Think i must be too late-- yet i hear of folks still finding sacks of huge ones in both central and NE Oklahoma. dean m., tulsa
From: Carolyn. Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003. Hey, Tom, this is the central Oklahoma people that is going to come to your great Illinois mushroon hunt in Magnolia, what us rednecks here wants to know is, can we bring our own trained Armadillo to the mushroom hunt. We have spent some valuable time getting this critter trained to hunt the mighty morels, and we sure would like to bring him along for the trip.
Hi Carolyn, Looking forward to meeting you. Unfortunately, we've had to turn down some people with Shroom Dogs (too messy on the rented buses), so we probably can't allow any other critters either. The only possibility would have been to disguise it as a human and pay the extra entry fee. But, we reached the 516 maximum this morning so the entries are closed. But even then, it every person (critter) for themselves and it probably wouldn't have shared the prizes with you anyway. We've seen them Oklahoma Armadillos before, they get kind of independent once they get east of the Mississippi! Tom
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: mushrooms. still finding them . sat ,april 19th ,found 2 yellows,2 whites , 11 blacks & easter found 12 more blacks here in washington co,oklahoma ,S.KING
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. my daughter natasha & i found 8 good yellows on easter. i found 10 yellows the next day.j.king osage co. oklahoma
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 18:25:28 -0700 (PDT). Subject: more(l) in Tulsa. thought season was over-- out jogging yesterday and spotted a "big foot" on edge of wooded lot. broke down and bought a pound of fresh ones for $29 at local deli--they said they were from "north of Bartlesville" (north of Tulsa). Dean M. Tulsa, OK.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ontario, Canada:
Date: Tue, 6 May 2003. Subject: Ontario Canada. Report Southwestern Ontario-May 6th, 2003. I moved to this area last August and have anxiously awaited Morel Season. As an Ohio native I've found many, many over the years. However I haven't found the first Morel here in Canada yet. I am hunting some "prime" area and I'm sure that within the week, the first ones should be coming up. I'll keep you posted. Ohio Transplant. Rex B
Date: Wed, 7 May 2003 19:19:09 -0700. Subject: Ontario morels. Hi,seeing no one in Ontario has sent in a sighting, i`ll be the first.This spot i know south of little britain, i`ve got black morels coming up.Not to many, but i`m hopeing for more and will look for more knowing they are around. Best of hunting.......Frank
Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 22:16:50 -0400. Subject: My first find of 2003. This year the season is a couple of weeks late. Found 18 Morchella Elata(black) today may 8, in Aspen trees forest. One was 4'' the other couple inches, but all very fresh had just come out. Location south of Ontario 50 kms out of Toronto. Umberto P.
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 19:15:35 +0000. Subject: Report: Ontario, Canada. Hello MorelMania! Thanks for running a "sightings" board! We just wanted to drop a note to say that we found some small false morels in Maskinonje Provincial Park on May 4th. We've been searching oh so hard for Real Morels, but have yet so find them anywhere. Jeremy and Lucy
From: Rex & Colleen. Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 08:17:47 -0400. Subject: Morels in Southern Ontario. Well, its finally happened here. Found my first blacks Sunday May, 11th under dead elms. Not too many as I think the seasons just starting here. I will update further.
From: Rex & Colleen. Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 13:16:05 -0400. Subject: Found. Went back out today South of London Ontario and found a few more blacks. Its early here yet and the seasons just beginning. Rex B. May 12th
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003. Subject: Morel Season/Ontario, Canada. May 16/03: Looking mainly north of Toronto, about 30 mins from the city. Found some large orange Gyromitra, and was wondering if anybody thinks that Gyromitra and Morels come up at the same time, or if one will show up before the other. Trying to time this right, lots of ground to cover! Interested in feedback from others around Toronto. Will spend this weekend looking very carefully, all this rain and good weather to follow make me think it's almost time.... Tara
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003. Subject: Update: found REAL morels! Well, my friend Kev beat me to them with a half-free morel spotted in North Bay, Ontario on May 14. I found four black morels nearby on May 15th, and getting excited for a season that I'm sure will escalate! Jeremy
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 17:14:25 -0600. Hi, I was wondering if you could identify this mushroom for me ... they were found growing next to a batch of white morels... thank you. Mark F. essex county ontario canada. It is a morchella semilibera or half-free morel. It is a true morel and edible. It is also known by many other names - some of which can't be repeated in a family column because the names are phallic in nature. I does have a look-alike, the verpa bohemica. They main distinguishing characteristic between the two is that the semilibera is completely hollow and the verpa has a cottony substance inside the stem.
Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 13:53:09 -0400. Subject: Morels popping everywhere. Greetings from South Central Ontario. Well, this past week has brought them on full swing here in my area. I am South of London Ontario Canada. We are finding lots of Yellows under Dead Elm trees. Hope everyone is having a great Spring......May 12th thru May 18th 2003. Rex B
Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 09:32:36 -0400. Subject: Ontario morels. May18-17 Ontario 10km North of Barrie a lot of all types of . I found approximately 35 lbs. of them. Alexsander B.
From: Richard K. Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 12:26:40 -0400. Subject: Common Morels in Ontario. As a relatively 'green' forager, I considered Morels to be the Holy Grail of wild edibles. Today I found 17 Common Morels (fzrom 1 1/2'' to 5") while out digging Ramps in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Date: Thu, 22 May 2003 16:38:07 -0400. Subject: Morel Sighting-Ontario. Date: Saturday, 17 May 2003 08:00. Subject: My first find ever!! I stumbled (literally) over these while working the May long weekend. I found about 3 dozen Black Morels this morning. They were located under or around Spruce trees. Some were coming up at the edge of a grassy area and the nearby Spruce needles. Most were approx. 4"-6" high. A couple were smaller and round-not-cone shaped. I spoke to locals about my find and was told they find them regularly up here. Next year I'll bring a camera and show the environment they were sprouting in. Location: Ontario's Bruce Peninsula 10 km from Sauble Beach. HM
From: Rex & Colleen. Date: Thu, 22 May 2003 20:48:06 -0400. Subject: Morels still flourishing in Ontario Canada. May 22, 2003- Huron County, Ontario........ Drove an hour and a half North today and found nice Yellows around dead Ash trees.
Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 18:22:59 -0400 Subject: Morel morning. This morning, not to far out of London,Ontario,I found 53 beautiful commons in 90 mins..The even better news is that there were lots of little ones just popping out for next weekend.JIM S.
From: Rex & Colleen. Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 08:06:35 -0400. Subject: Southern Ontario Report. May 26th, 2003...... Found 210 Big Yellows around Dead Elm. Elgin County, Ontario
Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 17:37:05 -0400. Sightings. Toronto Ontario Canada May 28 2003 large yellow morel location My own back yard :) dunnow how they got there. stef
From: Henry & Andrea. Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 22:19:06 -0400. Subject: Sighting in Ontario. My second ever find and within a two weeks of my first. See my Black Morel find, near Sauble Beach. This evening (Wednesday, May 28th) I found three Yellow Morels near the stump of an Elm I cut down last fall. Right on the edge of my driveway. They are 2"-4" in height. The weather has been wet for the last few weeks with 2 or 3 warm days on average per week. Nights have been cool (Down to 3 Celsius the other night). We had thunderstorms this past weekend. The pics included show four of the Blacks I found (dried now) and the three yellows I found this evening. The yellows were found just outside of Baxter (Halfway between Angus and Alliston). Good Hunting!
From: "Rex & Colleen" Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 07:18:05 -0400. Subject: Ontario Canada. May 30th 2003. Still finding Morels. All dead Elm. Trees on North slopes and in shade are now producing. I also found 1 in my front yard. We are at about 40 pounds this year so far. JIM S., if you visit again, please contact me via EMAIL to Morel Mania. Would like to talk to someone near London. All mushrooms have been found in Elgin County.
Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2003 17:14:39 -0400. Subject: One day good, another not. I found a new patch yesterday a half hour away from London, Ont. I found 10 yellows still good to pick and about 15 overly mature falling to their side slug food ones that I left to spread spore.Today I went east of London and found nothing . I think the season may be coming to a close around here. Jim S.
From: Rex & Colleen. Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2003 21:16:55 -0400. Subject: Morels still up and fresh. June 1st, 2003. Still finding nice quantities of Morels in Elgin County. I spent the weekend West of here near Port Franks, South of Grand Bend and Dead Elms produced some real nice Yellows. The weather has remained cool for the most part and the morels are bountiful. I sit and ponder how many thousands I'm not finding. Southern Ontario, Canada. Oh, and Tom, I want to personally thank you for including Canada on your sighting boards. Rex
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oregon:
From: CBloch. Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 00:45:22 EST. Subject: report from Oregon! There Hear! There Hear! There Hear! There Hear! There Hear! not just hear but there and there and there. Best season in the 10 years looking. I first spotted them last Thurs. 3/21/03 my permit only allows for taking 20% of a colony but in the last three days I've collected over 15 lb. in an area only 2 acres big! I don't Know if that's good for other parts of the country but for Oregon it, s wonderful I decided to dry some for storage this year. do you Know if this will work I don't want to lose any of that distinct flavor. Some are black and some yellow. Do you know any thing about what I've heard called Early morels they have the same wrinkled cap but a long hollow stem about 3 1/2 to 5 inches tall with the cap separating from the stem. I've heard both Morchella Semilibera and Verpa Bohemica referred to as "early morels" The Morchella Semilibera or "half free" is a true morel and is often referred to as a "peckerhead" or some other phallic conotation. The latin term "semilibera" means half free, which describes the cap to stem connection in that the stem goes up into the cap and connects about half way up into the it. In other morels the stem and cap connect at the base of the cap. The flavor is a little more bitter than the blacks, yellows or grays so we usually don't eat them by themselves. We mix them in with the others or add them to soup.We don't normally go hunting just for the half-frees but if we find them we'll throw them in the sack with the others. The stem is usually fragile and will be crumbs by the time we return home so we usuall y just pop off the cap and save it. The Verpa bohemica is different in that there is a cottony substance in the stem while the M. Semilibera is completely hollow. The verpa is also called the "skirt-cap" because the stem goes up into the cap and connects near the top of the cap so the cap is actually sitting on top of the stem. The Verpa also does not have true pits and ridges as the Semilibera does. The verpa cap is best desctibed as having wrinkles and folds. I've never found a verpa in central Illinois, but they are common in Michigan. I'm not sure which if either you have in Oregon.
From: laetiporous sulphureus. Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 18:24:35 -0800. Subject: got a few. i found a dozen blacks in landscaped areas today in the upper willamette valley....in oregon.
From: Matthew B. Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 15:16:27 -0800. Subject: Morels in Oregon. Found a couple Morchella semilibera today ... along the Willamette River, a little ways north of Eugene.
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 09:28:56 -0800. Subject: morel found in S. Oregon. Found 1 black morel in the Siskiyou Mtns. Elevation 2,500, SW facing slope, oak and manzanita surrounding vegetation. It's here! Joe M.
Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 17:05:07 EST. Subject: Yippee. Well, today is March 23 and we have had a LOT of rain in the past month. Today we decided to go look in our back yard down by the creek and under the oak trees for our crop.Well, we sure did find them and for the first gathering, it is great! Submitted by Merideth B. The Dalles, Oregon. about 80 miles east of Portland!
Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 19:32:11 -0800. Subject: sightings and pickings. Hi, found a couple of pounds of yellow morels and 2 black morels in Northern Oregon. Got em soaking at this moment and heading to the frying pan shortly. Saw many more immature yellows, can't wait to go back and load up in a few days. Its been very wet here the last 2 months, and I think it will be a great year. Happy Hunting everyone! Joe
From: Matthew Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 Subject: Oregon. I stumbled across a patch of Morchella elata yesterday -- right along my gravel driveway, beneath an old laurel hedge -- Eugene, OR. They were big ones, up to about 7" tall, but unfortunately they were all way past their prime -- dried up and chewed up by slugs/snails. On the bright side, now I know that I have my own personal patch!!
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 07:15:40 -0800. Subject: Oregon morel sightings. The weather has been just right for morels here in Western Oregon the last few weeks.In the past week I have found 10 lbs of Morchella elata in a disturbed/burned area. As soon as it warms up again start looking at middle elevations in similiar areas in the Cascades. Good luck Joe S.
From: Alison. Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2003. Subject: Sighting. Found a large haul of white morels in the Willamette Valley (OR). Found them in an open field environment peeking out from beside the long blades of grass, mostly along the weep line of their favorite deciduous trees. Dried most but gorged on many, sautéed in butter and mounded on a fresh, delicious grilled buffalo steak. Unbelievable!
From: Joe M. Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 10:53:07 -0700. Subject: white morels. Found couple dozen whites on 4/14 at edge of a large forest fire that occurred in S. Oregan last year.
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: Sightings. Oregon - found more black morels than our permit would allow us to gather! Found an easy gallon per person per day for three days straight, and there were plenty left behind. Looked to be an area that had been burned recently, in the last couple of years or so. The ground was thick with good-sized morels, at times to the point we didn't know where to step. Hoping to go out next weekend in case this was only a first flush. Best hunting ever! Alison D .
From: Blackoak. Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003. Subject: Oregon. Merlin, Ore. area. MORCHELLA DELICIOSA, Home boy name "RIVERS" & "WHITES". Found and farmed 4/10/03, Harvested and eaten 4/18/03. Drying racks and stash are M. Esculenta var. Crassipes, Home boy name "CONICALS" or "BLACKS". Southern Oregon fire, and logging areas are pumping due to long rain season. Highest prices $18.00 per pound now at $8.00. Darrell & Friends.
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003 03:07:32 EDT. Subject: Oregon morels found in Wilsonville. I was driving home from my work in Wilsonville, Oregon on 4-18-2003 -- and spotted a big morel while travelling at 35MPH. I pulled over within the city limits and picked about a pound of morels in an area that had been landscaped with barkdust recently (probably within the last 2 years). I found a nice variety - some petite greys, a few larger and thicker yellows, and lots of pointy-headed blacks morels that seemed a few days older than the rest. Mushroomer Chris E.
From: John&Mary. Date: Wed, 7 May 2003. Subject: morels in sierra foothills. Here it is may 7 and i have found some nice yellow's here in the "motherlode"
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 20:13:28 -0700. Subject: Ashland, Oregon Area. Found 1 1/2 lbs of fresh gray morels May 6 in southern oregon about 4000 ft. Wonderful eating! J. F.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pennsylvania:
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 06:08:42 -0500. Subject: It's about time! Tom, We found our first two here in eastern Pa. I went out on 3/25 and found two small ones. Found them on the sunny side. It wasn't the mother lode but it tells me that they have come alive! Should be a good season. It was a very cold and we had snow covering the ground all winter long. Wishing you a banner year. That was in Westmoreland county in Pa. Your friend, Shamey. Congratulations Shamey! It's a beautiful picture!
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2003 10:32:25 -0500. Subject: Morels--- can't find them here. Hi! Love your sight!!! my name is Nancy, I have recently relocated to the Buck's county region in Pa, We had mushrooms growing in our backyard where I come from and they usually are up in April (morels) I can't find an area to hunt here in Pa? I do not know the area well yet can anyone give me a heads up on where to start- I am originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Va. Any help would be wonderful!! Thanks Nancy
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 17:50:05 -0400. Tom, We just had our onion snow three days ago and all week it has been in the 40's and overcast. My bud and I went out this morning and lo and behold, we found these little beauties. It looks like they come on even without that warm rain! Your friend, Shamey
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: morels. We went out for our first foray of 2003. last Wednesday, 4/16. Walked back and forth, up and down a sunny ridge of tulip trees, ash and oak. Covered a couple of miles of ridge; probably about four miles of walking, taking into account the zigging ang zagging of our path. Found one brand new black morel. The weather was hot, but it had been quite chilly up to about the 13th. There was about 0.5" rain on the 11th, but none after that. Went back to our spot on the 20th and found 9 black morels. This is a slow start. Looks like this black morel season will fall well short of last year's. Yesterday, up until now (4/22), there's been about 0.4" of a gentle, soaking rain. Hoping that we don't get any overnight temps in the 20s over the next few days. Dave and Karen in Eastern Pennsylvania
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: morels are up ! April 19,2003
Today was a very warm sunny day and after getting my minds eye focused on picturing what I was looking for; I found 20 grey morels. The woods are still alittle dry, and a good rain should bring more up. Thank GOD for his treasures he has given us! Skeebie, Aleppo,PA
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: First morels of the Season. Hi all, Sherry from northwestern PA, (North Pittsburgh area) reporting 2 dozen grays under old apple trees found the saturday before Easter. Excited for a little rain and the next few weeks to come!
From: Trusspipe. Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 14:20:11 EDT. Subject: Morels. April, 24 2003 found 8 black morels in central Pennsylvania Happy Hunting
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 09:26:06 -0400. Subject: morels. Went out exploring some new spots and found 54 nice-sized black morels growing on a ridge-bottom nearby a large ash tree. That was on 4/25. Went to my usual spot on Sunday; found 45 small blacks and 12 half-frees. We had between 0.5" and 0.75" of rain on Saturday. With temps warming up this week, there should be more morels on the way here in PA. Dave in Eastern PA.
Date: Fri, 02 May 2003 09:57:10 -0400. Subject: morels in PA. Found my first yellow morel of the season; a nice new 4" mushroom. growing by an ash tree nearby a wetland. After a slow somewhat late start, the black morels have done fairly well here in PA. As usual, I found almost all of my black morels in spots where a south-facing slope bottoms out into a forest of ash and tulip. The first ones appear at the bottoming-out location, and subsequent fruitings occur both up the slope and on the flats moving away from the slope. Dave in Eastern PA
From: Funkyfoochgirl. Date: Sat, 3 May 2003 15:25:48 EDT. I think I found morel's in Lancaster, PA.
Date: Sat, 03 May 2003 20:05:34 -0400. Subject: Nancy in Bucks County PA. Tom, This is in response to Nancy in Bucks County, PA. I too am a transplant to Bucks County, PA. I have discovered a few spots near my home where I have found a few half-free mushrooms. Today I found my first "true" morel. If we get some rain in the next day or I think we may find a few more. Please pass on my e-mail address as I would love to hunt with someone around here. sphar
From: Ernie S. Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 05:44:49 -0400 Subject: Bradford County, Pennsylvania. They're here! Found the first small one on May 4th in Bradford County, Pa. Good ground moisture and warmer temperatures are coming. Should be a good year.
From: Himaryh. Date: Thu, 8 May 2003. Subject: from Lancaster, Pa. May 7...found patch of large light-colored morels in small wooded area near our house in Lancaster, Pa. These were quite mature and beginning to dry..two had mildewed areas on them. Their large size and light color made them easy to spot, but they were in an area where briars and undergrowth were thick. We recently relocated to the Lancaster area and I was surprised and delighted to find morels, especially after last season's drought.
Date: Thu, 8 May 2003. Subject: Pa finds! Lehigh Valley Area. I was at a party on May 3rd when a friend said he saw a morel in his yard. I got over there yesterday(Wed May 7th) and found it dried and broken from it's base. It was directly under an apple tree. I looked for other apple trees in the area and found a patch of 3 then off in the woods away from the orchard I found 1 single one. All were yellow. After 4 hours of searching, it was worth it! I've been looking for these guys for years. Janet C
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 23:31:12 EDT. Subject: Central PA. Love your site, and use it often. Haven't come across any yet, but my fellow shroomers have. Does anyone know if the false morels come up before the the true morels. I have found 3 or 4 of the false ones. Thanks--L&C
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 22:41:00 -0500. Subject: Morels in Bucks County Pa. Finally found 'em here in the hills in Bucks County! Saturday afternoon I found them in their usual spot, like they were waiting for me. Its strange, but people around here don't seem to know what I'm talking about when I say I am going to hunt morels. I am native to the area, and in three years hunting I've only ever seen one other person out looking, and he was from the midwest. People around here are missing out on a good thing, I find more good hunting areas every year, all to myself. ..Geoff P.
Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 16:32:52 -0400. Subject: sighting. Sunday, May 18, 2003. This is our first year of Morel hunting. We started are morel adventures in early April. Since we are new to Shrooming we aren't exactly sure when to start in our area. We got skunked a few times. However, today, we found two yellow morels. We are from Dauphin County, Pa. We hope to find more shrooms in the near future. We love the site and find all of your information very helpful. Thank You and Good Luck! T. S.
Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 22:53:54 -0400. Subject: Morels in Western PA. Hello, I'm late posting this message. During the last weekend of April, we found nearly 2 dozen large yellow morels in a new spot under a dead tree. Beautiful specimens! Absolutely textbook perfect. My daughter took one of the particularly nice ones (it was hard to choose) to school to add to the science classes collection of specimens. The teacher was delighted with it. We checked our old spots, and found a few more, but not many. We were able to have one really good meal, and that was about it. There has been some much rain lately and the morels we have found were spoiled from the quantity of rain. Nevertheless, it has been a good season. We will write again next year! Jeep in Greene County
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quebec:
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 00:46:40 EST. Subject: Morels to come in Québec. Just a quick note here. We have a good deal of snow melting and warming temperatures in Québec. Also, from club reports and literature, it appears we should have a good crop of Morels here this year. I'm keeping my eyes out. We have ideal conditions here in the Saguenay river valley along with very good pedestrian oriented parks perfect for mushroom hunters. Stay tuned! Marc in Chicoutimi, Québec.
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 11:53:20 -0400. Subject: Canada report. Brigitte from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We had cold weather and rain for the past week. When today in white ash/oak spot. No morels. Weather will be warmer in the next few day. Expect morels in May.
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 00:46:40 EST. Subject: Morels to come in Québec. Just a quick note here. We have a good deal of snow melting and warming temperatures in Québec. Also, from club reports and literature, it appears we should have a good crop of Morels here this year. I'm keeping my eyes out. We have ideal conditions here in the Saguenay river valley along with very good pedestrian oriented parks perfect for mushroom hunters. Stay tuned! Marc in Chicoutimi, Québec.
Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 10:23:41 EDT. Subject: Found False Morel in Chicoutimi, Québec. From Marc in Chicoutimi, Québec. Went mushroom hunting casually May 8 in a park near Chicoutimi, Québec. Found a Gyromitra (false morel) of some sort on a rotten log--half decayed. Too far gone to identify--but definatley looked like a Gyromitra. Temps have remained above freezing and the false morel should be a good sign that I was hunting in the right neighborhood and that hopefully the morels are just around the corner. I'm getting quite hopeful now. I'm pretty new in the area. Wondering if Brigitte has had much luck in Montréal. Marc.
Date: Sun, 11 May 2003 17:00:55 -0400. Subject: Montreal report. Well, either i'm looking in the wrong places or the morels are just not here yet! Temperature is warming up but everything is pretty late for this time of year (blooming, tulips, etc.). I'm going morel hunting in mixed oaks and ash trees woods also in poplar woods. Brigitte Montréal, Québec Canada
Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 15:17:47 EDT. Subject: Gyromitras in Chicoutimi, Québec. From Marc in Chicoutimi, Quebec. I just got back from an outing with the local mushroom club here in the Saguenay region. Several people found Gyromitras (false morels) but the Morels haven't appeared yet. The club leader says that they will probably come up during this next week. I think we just need a bit of moisture to bring them out. I'll keep checking this week!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saskatchewan, Canada: No reports yet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Carolina:
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 21:03:20 EST. South Carolina mushrooms. hi, We started finding mushrooms on a private plantation near Charleston, SC last week, 3/14/03. Three of us found about 95-100 in two days. It is the closest to the coast that I can find verified in South Eastern U.S. Most books state they don't occur in the coastal plain, but I can now state "the books are wrong". Tim G. Tim, we really appreaciate your report. We've read the some of the same books and found other errors. We're glad to have a eyewitness report.
From: Craig M. Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 14:13:45 -0800. Subject: Fort Mill SC 3-19-03. Been looking for a week now, no shrooms but did see a Copperhead ! A little sunshine and it should be mushroom heaven here.
Date: Wed, 07 May 2003 21:29:35 -0700. Subject: South Carolina Report. Fort Mill ( Indianland) SC - found a less than a dozen this year. However ! My father and I found about 100 on 7th of April on a hillside just south of Dale Hollow Tn. We found Spikes, Blacks , Yellows and Grays. This is Kendall my 2 year old with a sampling of what we found...Craig
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Dakota:
From: Mike Jr. Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 13:41:49 -0500. Sioux City Ia. Actualy it was up the Mightyt Mo. @ Jefferson SD. 3 of us went up by river found 5 1/2 lbs.They were on the dunes were there was little shade. Also there was this neat little find the arrows are pointing @ some tiny shrooms.about 3 to 10mm.
From: Tony B. Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2003 21:14:14 -0600. Subject: Black morels. Surprise, found 4 morels amongst some ash trees in western South Dakota June 4th. Average size 4". It has rained during the evening the last two days. The ground was wet. They were on an eastern slope. I was there two days before than and there were none. I am a newbie at mushroom hunting and this was my second time looking. This was the first time in fact I eat one. Now I am hooked. June 5th, found a Platterfull today so maybe it is over....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tennessee:
what time of year do you start looking. Tuesday, March 11, 2003 5:33 AM. I live in south-east tn. what time of the year should i start looking and where. I know that they usally grow around hardwood forest. will any grow around pine thickets that have been thined out?
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 19:44:34 EST. Subject: morels in tennessee. Sunday March 16, 2003 - Myself, my significant other and a friend of hers found four small to medium size blacks in Southern Middle Tennessee near the Alabama line today. It has started, and we will be looking again soon. Richard from Tennessee
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 17:42:47 -0500. Subject: sighting. Found 6 fresh blacks today in Hancock County (northeast), TN. Rick P.
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 19:49:54 EST. Subject: More morels in Tennessee. Found 14 blacks today in Southern Middle Tennessee near the Alabama line. I thought it would be better this week than this. All were found around one elm tree along the root lines from the tree that were exposed above the ground on a south facing slope. We have found blacks in other places on this property in prior years but not this year. Oh well, the yellows will be here real soon, as the weather has been very good for morels to grow. Richard in Tennessee.
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 21:36:11 EST. Subject: morles are up in Tennessee. Just wanted to let you know that I went shrooming on 3/19 and found 8 morels....looked again today 3/22 in the same location and found 20+ and they were much bigger than the previous ones...the humidity is finally getting right. Next week should be great hunting. I'm located north of Knoxville, TN. Sincerely, Red
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 13:31:34 -0500. Subject: 1st ones. The first morels for the year were found on March 3, near Norris Dam. Four small blacks were found by a colleague. I found 71 on March 20 and 21 on March 21. Happy Hunting! Chris in Kodak.
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 22:45:51 EST. Subject: morels in Tennessee. Just wanted to let you know that I went shrooming again on 3/26 and found 50 tans! The weather here is supposed to drop to freezing this weekend...so, it will set the shrooms back. I'll keep you posted on my finds. :) Sincerely, Red
From: Larissa G. Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 18:16:52 -0600. Subject: First morel sightings in northern tn. Found 7 blacks, all were around an inch tall. (March 28, 2003) We thought we would be finding grays and whites by now, is the season behind?
From: DVT. Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 17:20:49 -0600. Subject: TN black morel spotting. 4:30 PM Mar 29, Spotted my first black morels this season on Sunday, Mar 22 and harvested about 40 nice specimens today. All were in the 2" to 4" size. We're located in southern Wayne County Tennessee just off the Natchez Trace Parkway. Looks like it could be a banner year if the cold snap doesn't hurt us.
Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 20:38:20 EST. Subject: Morels in Tennessee. Hello fellow morel hunters... My wife and I went out hunting morels yesterday, March 28, 2003 in middle Tennessee. We found 14 nice black morels along an old unused logging road. There were lots of mayapple, trillium and poplar trees in the area also, so it appeared to be a good spot to hunt morels. We shall return in the coming days to hunt more. I know that 14 black morels are not enough to brag about, but we were elated to have discovered them. I think this coming week will be a prime time. Again, we certainly plan to go looking for them again in the next few days. We made a nice cream of morel mushroom soup for dinner tonight. Yum. Good luck hunting morels! Fred, Murfreesboro, TN
From: Watfin. Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 20:48:16 EST. Subject: more morels in tennessee. I could not get my significant other or our friend to go today, so I went by myself. We are suppose to get a frost either tonight or tommorrow or both, so I guessed I'd better get them before they got bit. Today, Saturday, March 29 . I found 149 total, including 9 half frees, 3 yellows and the rest blacks, some about 4" tall. The three yellows were just starting and very small, so they should be very good in a couple of weeks. They were found in mixed hardwoods, primarily cherry, poplar and oak with some elm and other varieties mixed in. The location was southern middle Tennessee near the Alabama line.
From: Rick S. Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 05:55:32 -0600. Subject: blacks. Pikeville tn. 2 trips out and 29 found 1st trip 21 2nd trip, may apple up about a foot trillium in bloom, and dogwood leaves the size of a mouses ear. these are all the signs I look for when looking for blacks. We are getting a cold spell here this weekend, could slow down some, but season just comming in.
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 11:41:00 -0600. Subject: half free morel in Tn. Hi. Found 2 really small half-free morels in Macon county Tn. Near the KY. Border on 4/1/03. Last year this "patch" was up on the 7th of april. The rain coming this friday should be a boost to all the varieties. I have not found any blacks in this area but this is my second year of hunting. I am an ex Ohioan new to these hills. Henry
Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 19:50:45 EST. Subject: Morels, morels and more morels. Saturday April 5, 2003 - Today we found 267, 35 yellows, 44 half frees and 188 blacks in Southern Middle Tennessee near the Alabama line. A lot of the blacks and half frees we found were beginning to dry up, some so bad we did not pick them nor include them in the count. Two of the yellows were the big variety, one about 5" to 6" tall. It seems early for those in this area, but we will take them when we find them. Most of the yellows were small, and they should be very good the next couple of weeks. One yellow (smaller than a thimble) we left to grow and check the progression for the next couple of weeks. I hunted with my significant other and a friend of ours on a private farm. Richard in Tennessee
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 11:48:05 EDT. Subject: Motherload in TN. Well it happened, Friday March 4th 2003. Hello fellow mushroom hunters, I wanted to tell you all about the motherload me and my brother found Friday the 4th. I arrived at the area at 12:00 noon and found 200 blacks in 2 hours. My brother got off work at 2:00 pm and came to where I was after I called him on the cell phone and told him of the magnificent find. He got there around 3:30 pm. In 2 hours his bag was heavy and he counted 120 when he got home. Needless to say we planned an all dayer the next day (5th) and had 5 others meet us there. When we walked out of the woods we had another 800 between us. In a total of 10 hours for two days we found well over 1,000 mushrooms. They were mostly blacks anywhere from 4"-8". We also found a few whites that were only 2" inches high. We found a few yellows about 2"-3" high. In the next few days the whites and yellows should soar to 4"-8" high. The conditions in the area are perfect, lots of hardwood, soft moist ground and plenty of leaf clutter. That's the whole key to finding mushrooms, you can feel the ground beneath your feet moving as you look for mushrooms. GOOD LUCK ALL!!!! GSS
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 17:36:30 EDT. Subject: morel finds. Hi Tom, just got back from Knoxville, TN. We found 342 mainly Black Morels. Some still very fresh. A great season so far! -Chris M.
From: missy. Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Subject: help. we are looking for mushroom in tenneesssee we live in ashland city can you tell us what tree to look under thank you.
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 20:18:49 -0500. Subject: Nashville, TN Report. We found our first Morels this year on 29 March 2003. Still found some today 14 April 2003. Morels were smaller this year than in previous years, but we found more of them. Jeff L. Nashville, TN
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 14:52:41 -0400. Subject: Northeast TN. April 13, 2003 - found 40+ ranging from 2 to 3" down to very small - best time around here is to watch for the dogwoods to bloom. Thank you, Toy S.
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 22:25:01 -0400. Subject: mushroom siting. Mushroom hunters!! Found yellow morels on Easter, April 20, 2003, East Tenn. Cosby, TN. found only 2, but they were 6 Inches. Rain every few days lately. Hope we can find more. Sheryl
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Texas:
texas. 03/10/2003 I have been looking around the dallas area for the last few days, but havent found any morels. I was wondering if any have been found in texas. I noticed the last update for the web site was in febuary. I am from Iowa and have been shrooming for about 25 years. I have no problem finding them in Iowa, I usually get about 20 to 30 pounds a year, and I do share the wealth. Texas is a different story. I moved here one and a half years ago. I looked last year but no luck. Where the hell are they? I have found many elms and trees that are said to produce here in Texas but no luck. It might be early here in Texas this year. James M.
Forwarded by Chris Matherly http://www.morelmushroomhunting.com/ Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2003. Time: 11:48 AM EST. Reporting Mushroom Finds. From: Ray C. Kind?: morel. How many?: only a few. I found them om my property. I live in Kendall County and Boerne, Tx is the county seat. I found them this morning. Two years ago I had hundreds and I did not know what to do with them. I did take some photoes. My back property is sloped and it was solid with cedar. The morels happened, I feel is cause I cleared alot of cedar off this slope and left what few oaks I have back there. Ray
From: "Wayne W. Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 14:43:44 -0600. Subject: Texas sightings. On March 17th, we found our first morel mushrooms ever in Texas. I didn't even know they grew here until a restaurant in San Antonio had them on their menu last year. I was raised in the upper Midwest and have searched for them when we lived in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. We found 7 yellow morels along a stream bed filled with cypress (cedar) trees. It was about 40 miles west of Austin, TX in the Hill Country. We were staying in the Austin Omni Hotel that night and the chef fried them for us. Yummm!!!
From: David W. Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 22:17:01 -0600. Subject: Chef Dave and Ms. M. We found our first of the season at our usual place near Lake Whitney, Texas. We usually find plenty here - we collected about a pound this outing, Chef Dave, Ms. M, and Lee. We believe they are just coming in, late because of some colder than normal weather. We expect a whole lot more over the next three weeks. Note to James M. -- In Texas, morels grow mostly in the Hill Country -- they love the limestone, cedar (actually juniper, but folks here call it cedar) and spanish oaks. Note to Wayne W. -- congratulations on finding the morels near Austin. That's prime Hill Country area. But Cypress and Cedar (actually juniper) are two trees with absolutely nothing in common. You'll find cypress in the swamps near Louisiana, but not in the Hill Country.
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 17:49:48 -0600. Subject: Texas Hill Country Morels. I'm Allen in Kerrville, Texas...have been watching a patch of Yellow Morels for about a week now in my yard under the Juniper trees and rotting leaves. The biggest bunch are in a mostly shaded area between my greenhouse and storage barn. Will harvest tomorrow morning...exciting since this is my first time and my friends from Missouri will be with me.
From: J. G. Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 13:04:22 -0600. Subject: Morel Sightings... 23-March, 2003 found about 2 lbs of morels on my property in central Texas. Location is the Leander area, northwest of Austin. Found in areas of filtered light underneath juniper trees and oak trees. Anywhere where a small amount of soil exists amidst the rocks seems to be a likely location.
From: Eric L. Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:16:03 -0600. Subject: Texas Yellow Morels. Tom: Hello from Austin.... Nice crop from along Barton Creek.... From a 20' area, located along a shaded overhang (most growing from the bottom face of the 5' high overhang), mostly cedars with some oak composting. Damp & shaded, next to running water. 3rd year from the same patch. Peak was Monday-Tuesday, waited until today to harvest.
Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 18:45:23 -0800 (PST). Subject: morel sightings in TX. We found 15 morels today in Northeast TX. It is still a little dry but fortunately there was enough moisture to pop some morels up. If it rains tonight we should find some more. To James---All I can say is in this area of TX morels must not grow very abundantly for some reason. The most we find a year(covering about 20 acres) is anywhere from 1 to 30, and that's individual morels, not pounds! From my experience, the best time to look for morels in the Dallas area is last week in March, first week or two in April. Almost all of them we find along or very near to a creek and most are around Ash & Elm trees as well as hedge apple trees.------- Tara N.
From: Bryan B. Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 12:45:25 -0500. Subject: sighting. Date: Mon, 07, April 2003 . Subject: BB-Texas Hill Country Morels. This is the first year in Central TX I found morels because I did not know they grew here. I found them the second and third week of March north and west of Austin the Lake Travis area on both private and public land. Having been an avid hunter in the KCMO area what I found is you just have to walk the woods, but every place I tried I found at least a few. You can bet I will be looking for more place to go before next year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turkey:
Wild Mushroom Market Report (17/03/2003) ***AVAILABLE NOW FROM TURKEY*** MORELS, MORILLES; MORCHELN, MORCHELA, COLMENILLA. The weather conditions are rainy.The Northeast winds stopped growing of morels in these days. In 4 or 5 days later, the Morel mushroom business will go faster. Last year, 18th of March,we started to export fresh morels.Our first shipment was 26,50 USD to NY and 22,00 Euro to Paris. Our capacity of Morel mushroom is 10.000 kgs/a month. We are looking for collaborating with reliable buyers. Last year, Turkey's totally export income was 1,815,000 USD in Morel Business. Last year Sale Price Range for fresh morels was between CIF 15,00 - 21,00 Euro for Europe ports between CIF 18,00 - 24,00 USD for NY port. The price changings depends on availability of morels and world markets. Importers can supply Morel mushroom only from Turkey until 10th of April because of climate. Ortac G.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Utah:
From: Scott D. Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 09:27:34 -0700. Subject: Sightings in Utah. A few black morels were found at about 6,000 feet on a South West facing slope outside Salt Lake City. Not a huge find (one small patch of about a dozen), but some are better than none.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vermont:
On May 3 near Rutland in a sunny grassy area near a large black willow. Found two only, it is a bit early here yet. T and G
Date: Mon, 5 May 2003. Subject: Vermont Sighting. On May 3 near Rutland in a sunny grassy area near a large black willow. Found two only, it is a bit early here yet. T and G
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003, Subject: morel sighting...and picking! Just found my first two blacks of the season....looks like it'll be a busier weekend than I had thought! Kathy in Williston, Vermont :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Virginia
From: curtis and brenda. Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 11:30:41 -0500. Subject: morels found in the hills of va. Found about 15 morels in the little north mountain area wich is west of the blue ridge in virginia on 3/23/03 about 3/4 to 1inch tall . They are just starting in this area .
From: "curtis and brenda". Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 22:07:37 -0500. Subject: more found. Found another 25 to 30 mushrooms about an inch tall today . On the southwest side of the ridge . In the same area starting to grow better .
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 19:25:28 -0500. Subject: Virginia Morels. Hi Tom and Vicky, Well it's cost me quite a bit of gas money but my trek paid off yesterday. Started finding one-sie/two-sies the 20th of March, but yesterday I found 45 various sized angusticeps. Found them in my favorite spot here in Newport News VA. Clay.
Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 15:06:51 EST. Subject: Virginia morels. OK, now I'm really upset. I've been looking for morels in the coastal plain area of Virginia on and off for 10 years since moving here from Indiana. I'm in Suffolk, VA and none of the locals here have even heard of a morel. Any advice Jody M. or Clay could give me would be greatly appreciated. PS I don't want your favorite spot, just a spot "like" your favorite spot. I'd gladly post my email address if that's acceptable. Moreless Les in VA
From: jeff f. Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 17:24:25 -0400. Subject: Morels find in Southwest Va. Found about 2 1/2 pds of blacks most of medium size 3" to 5" on 4-6-2003 in the hills of Va. near Pennington Gap Va. After a good rain and 2, 70 degree days. Used to pick as a kid in N.C. where I live but pickings have been slim in the last 10 yrs so I moved up to Va. after I heard about a great place. (sorry cant tell where) ha ha. Happy Hunting to all.
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 10:35:37 -0400. Subject: sightings in Western VA. Hello, I checked out my favorite spot yesterday, 4/14, north of Harrisonburg, VA. I found 7 very fresh blacks, four were about the size of my thumb and the other three were about 3". I left all of them and I plan to go back on Wednesday since we're having a really nice week of 70's and a previous wet, rainy week. It's about ready to explode here in the area, time to get out and start looking. The mayapples are up about 3-4" and the dogwoods are starting to bloom west of the Blue Ridge. The ones I found were growing around my favorite ash trees that produce year after year, even last year when it was so dry. The conditions are perfect for this to be a really good year in this area. ...BillH
From: Shelley. Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: Morels in Northern Virginia. We live within 5 miles of Washington, DC and went hunting yesterday (Easter Sunday) for morels in a large, wooded neighborhood park. After an hour of hunting, we were finally successful. The black morels here are still somewhat small (less than 2 inches with underdeveloped heads), so we left a few untouched to get bigger before we harvest them. I used to pick morels by the boxload as a child in Southwestern Ohio, so I knew what we were looking for. My husband and I were amazed that we were finding them so close to major metropolitan area in a park used by hundreds of people. Obviously, we are not telling our neighbors what we've found, or we would have to share!
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003. Subject: morel finds. I went to my favorite spot east of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia. 4-20-03 - After five hours of traipsing I was able to collect 19 morels (15 black and 4 yellow). Sizes ranged from 1inch to 7 inches. My first find of the year and truly exciting. Even more exciting to eat! Will
From: Jay/Dede. Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003. Subject: Morel sighting. Yesterday afternoon while doing yard work at my suburban home I discovered a small group (8 - 10) of Morel's in a corner of my property under some large pine trees. Checked your website to insure the identification. Believe them to be "yellow" variety with caps in 3 to 5 inch size. Wondering if I should leave them awhile to see if they get larger or go ahead and harvest them. Location is Waynesboro, Va in the Shenandoah Valley.
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 23:32:43 -0400. Subject: Posting for you from va. Tom, I hope this is useful. VA. April 25. The last few days have been pretty good and today's rain will bring out more. My hunting partner and I usually hunt in the counties of Culpeper, Fauquier and Madison. The best hunting for us is above 500 feet. Today, for example, we found yellows, blacks and a few half frees at altitudes as high as about 1500 feet. Almost all were among mature poplars and we found them on north, south, east and west slopes as well as dead flat areas. I notice some postings as to the soil type: I don't pay much attention to that and concentrate more on the plants that are growing in the area and the moisture level of the soil. For example, I have never found morels among stands of mountain laurel or rhododendron and hardly ever find them among yellow pine. But I have found bucket loads under poplars. It is interesting to compare last year's records with this year: we are finding more half frees than last year, when we found very few. We started finding blacks about a week and a half after we found the first ones last year. We often look for blacks and half frees in the company of spice bushes and these too are leafing later than last year. Perhaps the cooler spring delayed the fruiting. We probably collected a hundred or so blacks and yellows in the last two days plus 20 or 30 half frees. I rinse off any leaf mold, evict the larger insects, saute them in a little butter and sometimes add some stock or glace de veau. I finish them with some heavy cream and pile them on pasta, devour them and collapse in an exhausted but extremely contented heap. Joe P
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003. Subject: Reed's Gap 4/26. I didn't see a lot here from Virginia so thought I'd chip in on what seems to be a late season. I found a nice stand under mostly elm trees near Reed's gap. This is where the Appalaichan trail meets the Blue Ridge Parkway notheast of Lexington, VA. Most of them were small 3-5cm blacks, with a few drier mature specimens reaching 3in. I think there might still be more to come for this region. Kind Regards, David K
From: graceandhavoc. Date: Sat, 3 May 2003 14:28:14 -0400. Subject: Morels in Charlottesville, VA. April 19 & 27, 2003 - Found a really nice patch of yellow morels on the sandy banks of the Rivanna River at a public park here in Charlottesville. Harvested close to 30 yummy ones. They were under dying elm trees.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Washington:
From: Jeremy F. Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 02:30:52 -0700. Subject: morels in washington. great day today in washington. way too early for the true push on the east side of the mountains, but found a nice patch in some mulch beds. 12 and a half pounds blacks, greys, and blondes all along a mile long stretch of road. found most in the median in between two lanes of traffic. with some more rain should get another batch next week.
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 20:12:45 -0700. Subject: Spring is here in the Olympia, WA area because yellow morels have been found. Picked about 7 lbs today. Some were quite large and old, and out in plain view near a main street - from the right angle.... Seems like an early season, despite the cold weather we had about a week ago. Can't wait to get out and check my other planned spots. Tonight's menu is fresh pasta, with morels in a sauce of fresh rosemary, arugula, goat cheese, tomatoes and red wine. Yum. David and Susanne A.
From: Art. Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003. Subject: Just a note... Was in Seattle, Washington 3 weeks ago, had the privilege of going to the Pike's fish market there. They were selling morels at $20 per pound hydrated. They were all yellow, about 5 inches in length, sure looked good! Folks around here are just now finding a few by chance mainly while walking a river bank fishing. We've had quite a bit of rain over the past two days, so hopefully this will help. I'm originally from SW Iowa and hunted morels with my Dad many years ago. Think the boys and myself will partake in the pleasure again soon...
Date: Sun, 4 May 2003 19:53:31 -0700. East side of the Cascades (Washington) are starting to produce under the cottonwood trees. Found about 200 this past weekend. Still to early for the big push about 2500 feet. Maybe another two weeks. Tom G.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Virginia:
Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 16:21:34 -0400. Subject: Morels in WV. Finally got out today for the first time. Haven't counted all of them yet but I'd say we found around 70 morels. The weather hasn't been very co-operative this spring. Plan to be back in the woods next weekend. Keep on shrooming CURT & DEB in southern West Virginia
From: anita. Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003. Subject: mollymoochers. Hi Anita here from Southern WV (Boone Co.) went out a few days ago and only found 3 hope to go out today 4-8-03 went this time last year and found 30. Other people around here have been finding a pretty good bunch at a time but not me as of yet, but hopefully soon, oh should I mention that the loggers have ripped up some of our honey holes as we call them, it makes my stomach turn when you can just walk along in a place and pick them up left and right now its gone do to logging boo hoo!!!!
Wed, 9 Apr 2003 23:38:41 -0400. Subject: morel sightings. Nancy from Charleston. Been going out every few days for the last week or so. Found about 80 total. The weather has turned very cold so we think it is slowing things down. I have heard of some people finding large quantities but I'm still searching for my motherlode. All blacks so far. I'm from W.V.
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 06:50:49 -0400. Subject: Sightings in Mineral County WV. Last Saturday, April 5, my family found a total of 72 small morels, none more than 2" tall. It's been a cold, wet week here, so we're not sure what to expect this weekend. Last year we found hundreds each day we went. Sandy (Burlington, WV)
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: GOOD FRIDAY EXPERIENCE. I live in Cleveland, Ohio. I'm originally from Southeastern WV. I had an opportunity to go hunting in Lincoln County, WV. on Good Friday. We basically found black morels and not a lot of them. Some were already dried up. We went again on Saturday morning and found some white ones. Our friend was more successful on Friday. He found at least 200 nice size white ones. He gave them to us to bring home and enjoy much to our appreciation. It's time to start avidly hunting in the northern part of Ohio. Happy hunting from Dale in Cleveland. It was much better than hunting Easter eggs!
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 07:54:12 -0500. Subject: Tyler Co WV- our first morel hunt report. Howdy from Tyler Co in West Virginia, We just got back from vacationing in Ireland (they hunt shrooms in Aug. there ) and even though we had jetlag we went out and found 17 lovely tan morels on thursday, April 24th! They are 1 1/2- 2" range. We can't wait for rain tonight so we can hunt enough to stuff a nice batch for the weekend. Love the morel mania site and we wish everyone the best hunting ever this spring. Pam and buddy M. PS We were at the blarney castle and all over the grounds were ramps ( we sniffed them out) growing!
From: Kay P. Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 19:37:36 -0400. Subject: Saturday 26, 2003. Gilmer County WV - What fun hunting morels with family in the country and so yummy.
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 19:02:15 -0700 (PDT). Subject: Lincoln County. "The Motherload". Hi we went out "moochie" hunting April 20 2003, at our honey hole and to our suprise we found the biggest white moochies that my husband and I have ever seen (he's been hunting for 20 years or so). Total we found 70 white ones and most were the size of soda cans. This was a first for me and I am a die hard. I even had my first "moochie" mounted (like you would mount a deer) ha!ha! -- This is GREAT! Lincoln Counties Finest, Sam & Debra H. -- HAPPY HUNTING!!!!! ps..... i will try to send some pictures!!!!!!!!!
From: Phunkygrl. Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 00:04:30 EDT. Subject: Northern WV. In Brooke County WV , found about 30 , really big ones... This was our first time and we had been looking since April based on what others said , well we almost gave up and then with the continual rain and hot muggy nights we went today, (5/08/03) and we were so happy!!!! Good luck to all!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wisconsin:
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003. Subject: 1st morel. I found about a dozen just up only one-half inch tall on a south facing ridge in Rock County Wisconsin on April 20, 2003. Good Hunting. Tim
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 9:58 PM. Subject: Sightings. Morels are just sprouting here in sw Wisconsin. This little guy was hiding under some leaves. Today (April 22) I did find 6 grays which were around an 1 1/2 tall which means one will be able to start picking on south hillsides in about 7 days. Picking will get good around the 7th of May and the season will peak around the 12th of May unless we get an unusual weather pattern. There is a sufficient amount of moisture in the woods right now which is good. Everyone pray for rain the next 3 weeks and good luck hunting from Morelmasters www.morelmasters.com
Date: Wed, 7 May 2003 22:37:15 -0500. Subject: SW WI. I FINALLY started picking morels today on South slopes and open areas. There are still some I am leaving to grow. This is turning into a real late season. Things look real good out there. Plenty of moisutre along with decent numbers under the elms. Found 5 pounds today. We had our 3rd. child right on your festival day! Another boy. Yes Tom he's only 4 days old but I had to take him morel hunting! See Attachment. We'll stay in touch..... Master J
From: danlisa. Date: Sun, 4 May 2003 13:22:45 -0500. Subject: first sightings for us!!! Hey out there!! Yes! Finally found a bunch of little greys and a few yellows in SW WI.......Many, Many more to come I hope!!!!
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003. Subject: Wisconsin report. Tuesday May 13 2003, went out to an early spot here in Trempealeau county Wisconsin. Found 86 greys, that averaged about 2 inches, I'll be picking them in the morning! Things are just starting up around here. Good luck everyone!! Al T.
Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 17:56:47 -0500. Subject: SW wisconsin. We stumbled on 2 pounds of Morels in our yard in SW wisconsin in Waukesha county, a southern slope under a dying elm tree in a mossy open area along a trail we cut. Our son discovered them and loves them. Dan W.
Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 20:19:47 -0500. Subject: found morels in Milwaukee County park. May 18, 2003. Found 3 lbs of yellows and greys, some 6 inches in Milwaukee County Park. I'm excited. Hope more come with rain on its way. MJ
Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 17:01:08 -0500. Subject: Morels in La Crosse County, WI. Greetings all. On Saturday, May 24th me, my wife, my brother, and his fiancé hunted up about 60 morels (mostly yellows) in southern La Crosse County north of Coon Valley. Most were on south and west facing slopes about 1/4 of the way down the ridge & nearly all were in clusters of 5 to 8'shrooms in close proximity to dead elms. However, the nice big one I found in the attached picture was all by his lonesome right next to the logging road under a big live elm. We chowed our find that night with cheeseburgers and homebrewed beer. Needless to say we were living large that night. Gotta love 'shroom season! Happy hunting! Regards, John V. Wrightstown, WI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return To Top Of Page
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wyoming:
From: Meredith. Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 06:11:56 -0700. found 25+lbs in wyoming in may 2002 in last years fire in teton co
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No State/Province/Country Mentioned:
From: Mark and Amanda. Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003. Subject: little blacks. I went out 4/18 and found 3 about 2 inches tall. we need rain really bad. Found in wayne county
From: Rhonda. Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. I was just browsing your sight and I found it quite interesting. We have been molly mooching 4 times already and we have found about 150 moochers. We live in Raleigh County and You can usually find alot of moochers on Kayford Mountain during the first 2 weeks of April
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Subject: Tuesday. Hi, Tom. We were really sad to find out about Larry. I know he was a good friend of yours. We were wondering if we could sit down with you for a few minutes before or after the meeting on Tuesday to talk a little about Larry. Before the meeting would be a little better for us, but we can do either. On a much, much lighter note...I found my first morels today. About fifteen on a southwestern facing slope west of Lafayette. Cars were dotting the road all through the country...I knew the season must have started. In the interest of full disclosure, I did have help from another hunter that I saw out there. I was pretty excited nonetheless. Again, we're really sorry about Larry. Dave
From: Norma. Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003. Josh and Matt found 186 mushrooms on Wednesday, April 16, 2003.
From: greg. Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003. moultrie county, near bethany i found 40 small grey morels.1 to 2 inches tall. my friend did not do so good. he only found 6 morels.it is still early
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 Went out on Easter April 20 near Fall River and found about 50 nice yellow morels. Some were dried up but got a couple of five inches! Hope the weather stays cool. Keith
From: Bruce. Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003. Subject: morels the only mushroom. they are late this year but yesterday April21st we found 103 blacks in Huntingdon county.yyyyeeeaaaahaaaaaaa!!!!!
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. Subject: Found 557 so far... Greetings to all from Richland County. Since my last post on April 16, my 10 year old daughter and I have found 557 mushrooms and helped friends find around 100. Most have been the black morels. And we're still going strong! The picture shows the first 155 that we found on April 17th. K.L.
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003. Subject: Recent rain a big help in Jeff. Co. We recieved about two and a half inches of rain over the weekend and it made for good hunting on Easter sunday. We found about 105 yellow and grey morels, as well as some good sized false morels up in the hills sunday afternoon. We returned to the same spot tuesday and found another 92 yellows and greys. Thus far the season is looking up, but warmer nights would not hurt. ~Matt
From: jccook.Subject: found lots of `shrooms. found 209 peckerheads and 5 yellow morels in randolph co. in the last 3 days. some peckerheads 5-7" tall.yellow morels 3-4" tall! indiana is kicking this year-my woods, anyways! good luck to all
From: George & Janice. Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 07:06:45 -0400. Hi, Just discovered your site. We're in Harrison County. We've been hunting since April 16th when we found the first 63 small whites. We've been hunting about every other day since. Found the first big morels on the 21st. and now have a total all types of 495 for the year. Didn't find any blacks this year or last. My husband's family went out on the 26 and found a bunch but we only counted our own not theirs Our daughter's family has over 200 in just a couple hunts with the 8 year old grandaughter finding the first. She's been hunting since about 2.
Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 23:56:31 -0500. Subject: Morels found in Grant Co. I checked a spot on a south hill every day for the last week or so and today, May 1st, after all that rain the last 2 days, I found a half dozen greys about 2" high in a small clearing with sunlight through the trees in Southern Grant County. The first one I picked made me think of Larry, even though I never had the pleasure of meeting him but learned much from him and his website. The next one made me think of my Mom and Dad. God rest their souls. Morel hunting can be a very spiritual experience! Fred S.
From: Danny and Teri M. Date: Sat, 03 May 2003 21:47:51 -0400. Subject: sighting. 5/3/03 Mushroom Spank . I found 2 blacks on the sunny side on Frederick city watershed. at the base of tulip poplar near stream bank not much results for 4 hours.
Date: Sun, 4 May 2003 11:56:21 -0500. Subject: morels in Sullivan Co. I was out on 4/25, hunting by myself in creek bottoms and found 5 gal. and on 4/26 me and my son went out and found 8 gal. This was the first of a lifetime find for us !!!! Needless to say, I finally saw what I have been jealous of for MANY YEARS. Unfortunately we left the camera in the car, this will be just a special memory for the both of us. Bill
Date: Mon, 5 May 2003. Guillaume from Reinbeck found 7 small grey and 2 small yellow at Otter Creek and Lake area. May 5, 2003.
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 18:51:55 -0500. Subject: shrooms. found some morels in washington dakota and goodhue countys about 1 inch tall saturday should be a great harvest. savey dog
From: CRAIG S. Date: Sat, 17 May 2003. Subject: good find. I was out May 16 and found 175 Morels. A few of them were 5 inches tall. Found a whole grove of elm trees. Lots were found there. Also, found many under a large grove of Aspen trees. Had to hike 2 miles in off road, but very well worth it. Should also be a good spot for deer this fall.
From: Udruzenje M. Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 01:00:23 +0200. Subject: conica. Veliki pozdrav iz Bosne i Hercegovine
From: Elizabeth L. Date: Sat, 31 May 2003 18:28:21 -0700. found black morels near Wandering river May28/03.