Sightings 1999

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First Sightings of the 1999 Season

Last update: 5/17/99

Thanks to all reporters, we obviously couldn't do this without you. The success of the sightings page overwhelms us. Our purpose is to be educational and we're learning more than anyone! If there's anything we can do to improve it, let us know.

As a public service we post all reports of morels sightings that have been reported to us and leave them year-round as an unofficial, unscientific, undocumented study of the arrival of our favorite fungi. For now, please email reports, questions comments, or answers to morel@ocslink.com If usage warrants, we'll turn it into a bulletin board with instant posting. Currently messages are posted by state in the order we receive them. We don't post complete names or email addresses because we don't want you receiving unwanted email from some group sending junk email (or following you into the woods!

At last, the first sightings of morels for the 1999 season arrived from the Texas-Oklahoma border. And, since it was listed as the border we have posted it for both states. Email your sightings to Morel Mania

Note: We apologize for not updating the sightings page as often as we should. Please be patient with us, this is our busiest time of year and our time is not our own. And we've only been in the woods twice!

Arkansas: Wanted to report that I found two morels in my backyard last Thursday, March 25th. I live in Sherwood, just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. I've been hunting morels for years, but never expected to find them so close to home. I usually head to the Ozarks when morel time rolls around. Keep up the good work - Kelly

Tue, 6 Apr 1999, A friend and myself decided to take off work and look for the elusive morel. To our surprise and about 4 hours of searching, we ventured in the hills of northwest Arkansas and found 100 two to five inch morels just waiting to be picked under several sycamore trees. Of course we tend to go searching again tomorrow and hopefully will find more!!!! Good hunting!

Wed, 7 Apr 1999, From: Ken, 4/09/99.....went to Northweast Arkansas , found 65 yellow morels on side of hill adjacent to creekbed. From the bank of the creek up the side of the hill to the crest. 7 and 8 inch beauties just waiting to be picked and of course.......we did!.......I enjoy your web site and will be looking forward in viewing it in the future.......happy hunting!

British Columbia, Canada: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 Morels are up here on Vancouver Island...20 in one spot. Looking good. Randy, The King OF Morels

California: I just picked about 75 morels in Sebastopol, CA on 3/16/99. I left about 30 because they were too old!! All of these were growing on buried cardboard boxes used for landscaping. The cardboard was covered with wood chips. The season has begun in the golden state! Picked another two dozen on 3/20/99. Darvin

Colorado: No reports yet

Florida: Florida????? Wed, 21 Apr 1999, I live in Marion, Ohio and have hunted for 50 years in this county. My son, also an avid hunter recently moved to Florida. Has anyone ever found morels that far south ? Don't need an exact location...just a "positive" answer. Maddog would be very happy. turtle

Georgia: 3/25/99 I'm from Pennsylvania and I've been hunting these mushrooms all my life. I've recently moved to Atlana,Georgia and not a soul I've talked to know anything about morels. I figure they should be growing in the Ga. mountains around Eljay, Ga. (it's north, in the mountains, with good black soil and a lot of old apple orchards). Have any of your connections or people you know ever found them down here? I figure we're about a month earlier than Pa. so i'll be going out around the first week of April to look for them. Any informatiom would be appreciated. Thank you. Mike

Illinois: 3/22/99 Just got back from a week-end trip to southern IL. Didn't really expect to find any but did find a dozen M. angusticeps. Most were small, largest about 3" tall. Found on a south facing slope, of course, where the soil warms faster. Only other thing collected was a whitish-tan cup fungus that always comes up early in a white pine plantation there. Spring beauty just starting to appear, one box turtle, no redbud or dogwood flowering yet, no mayapples, soft maples just starting to break their buds, but no oak leaves the size of a "mouse's ear" yet. Did find a couple of ticks crawling on our clothing so they're out! Spring is on the way, but maybe not as early as last year. Darrell

3/25/99 I thought I would let you know that my brother-in-law Sterling of Shelbyville, IL found 14 black esculenta on Wed. March 24, 1999 near his home. Not a big harvest but it is a start on our 1999 season. Thanks, Leonard

04/03/99: Darrel phoned us today. He's always the first in Central Illinois to find any "roons". We can't give his name or exact town other than to say it's near Galesburg. He found one small black (3/16") Actually he said tht it was the heighth of four pennies stacked pancake style. Darrel serves as the official mushroom welcoming committee because he's always there to greet them as they arrive. We usually wait a week after Darrel has found his first ones because our eyes just aren't as trained for the elatas as his are, specially when they are that small. We've kept track of Darrel's first finds for several years now. They are: 4/10/93, 4/13/94, 4/13/95, 4/15/96 (in a snowstorm!), Oops, we lost the data for '97, 3/31/98, 4/03/99.

Sat, 3 Apr 1999, Samantha in Hamilton Co. cut 40 blacks (in the rain) in about 30 min. They're out !!! Now for some good pickin, we need the SUN.

Sun, 04 Apr 1999, I just got back from Southern Illinois and found over 130 m. angusticeps in Shawnee National Forest! The size was good and most appeared to be in their prime. All mushrooms found were in the uplands. After this weekends rain, morchella esculenta should arrive within a week or so. Good luck and happy hunting! Jay

Magnolia, Thursday, April 8,1999: Danny Hauger and Bob Newhalfen of Magnolia stopped at the house today to show off five itty-bitty greys they found this morning. The Nauman Family did go out Wednesday evening but didn't find anything. We'll use excuse No. 4 - it's too dry. Actually, The forest floor condititons were looking pretty good. May Apples were about 2" out of the ground. Trilliums were few, the ones we did see were about 2" in diameter. Dutchmen's Britches were out. The soil itself was powder dry, but we did get about a half-inch rain Thursday night so we'll be getting more reports soon. Tom.

They have arrived!!!! Sat, 10 Apr 1999, From: Linda, Hi, Found 19 grey morels today near Oakwood,Il. Nice size- 2 and three inches tall. Happy hunting.

They're up in Illinois. Mon, 12 Apr 1999, Somewhere in Madison County ;-). 4/7, first of the season, four blacks, 3/4 - 2 inches tall. 4/9, mix of "blacks" and "grays", not sure I appreciate the difference. 31 that were 1/2 to 2 inches tall, showed some browning, so concluded they'd been up a few days. An acquaintance showed me 6, to 3 inches, in his backyard. 4/10, four to 1 1/2 inches in spots I'd searched on previous day. Most were found in tough to get at, underbrush. Most likely someone else's leavings. On flat, somewhat elevated ground. May apples have emerged and some have opened, ground is has begun to feel "sponge-y" underfoot. If only I could teach my dogs to point them....Bob

Magnolia, Monday, April 12, 1999: Tom had to work late, so that sneaky Vicky took three of the offspring down to the valley and they found a total of 19 little greys (one cluster of 10!) They brought 15 home just to show off and left the rest to grow. Tom has been so busy with the day job, Morel Mania, The Illinois State Morel Mushroom Hunting Championship, and trying to keep this website current that he may have to buy his morels this season!!! Better yet, he may spend June in Canada!!

Mon, 12 Apr 1999, From: Brenda. Born and rasied in Illinois and the early season of mushrooms has been good to us found by Kinkaid Lake.40 morels. but need more sun.happy hunting to everyone and god bless the morels.

Morels/greys and whites. Mon, 19 Apr 1999, The first for me in years ,me and a couple of buddies went down to northern Macoupin county, in Illinois today, Otterlake area.I found 65 nice 2-3" whites and 12 greys 2-2.5"...Needless to say there Here at last my first to find in 20 years now im gonna be full . R.R.

Randolph, Perry, Jackson Counties - Illinois,Sat, 17 Apr 1999, Have been finding blacks and greys in good numbers for about two and half weeks now. The recent cool (COLD?) snap seems to have set them back a little, but yesterday in the chilly winds and cool sprinkles (did we see a snowflake!?!) we were able to find close to 100 in Perry county. A little sun and a few warm days and they should be out in force. Still too soon for "big yellas" Gretchen and Critter

We have found between two and three hundred small black and grey/white morels around the Mattoon, Illinois area in the past week. The big yellow ones should be up by next week-end. Don.....4/17/99

Hello Tom and Vicky, et al. Just got home from the timber (Putnam County, IL) and am pleased to report we found a little more than five pounds of the small dark morels since Friday evening (4/16/99). Also, I read the Journal Star last weekend and noticed your name and a nice report concerning the Magnolia connection in mushroom land. I should congratulate you folks on your website; very impressive. Best of luck and we will try to see you on the day of the championships. Best to all, Ron

Bloomington, IL. Sun, 18 Apr 1999. Hot diggity ...after two weeks of hunting I finally found the first grays of the 99 season. Found a dozen nice greys 3 inches tall. Ground temp 48 sunday april 18th. Bryan

Sightings '99.Date: Clinton, IL - April 18th. I found a dozen greys and one yellow at a site near Clinton Lake. Almost all of them were found growing on the southern slopes of creek banks. The weather has been a little too cold for the rest to come out, but with all of the rain the last few days, moisture is no longer a concern. Randy B.

Finally got them. 4-19-1999. Mushrooms found in Princeton Ill. My name is Danny (age 11) and I found some greys behind my house in the woods. I will be looking for more tomorrow.

Report from the Mid-America Morel Mushroom Festival, Jonesboro, IL, 4/17 & 4/18, 1999: After a fair start of the season, the area had received 36 hours of rain the weekend of 4/10. The temperature then turned cold during the week prior to the festival. No one really expected huge amounts of morels to be found as the Saturday of the festival was still very chilly. Jason (see Wisconsin Sightings) found 51 on Saturday and actually, competitors were finding more than I expected. Our prediction is that this weekend (4/24 & 4/25) should be tremendous in the Southern Illinois latitudes.

BIG NEWS! Larry Lonik is conducting Morel Heaven Weekends at Trail of Tears Lodge in Jonesboro (Site of the Mid-America Morel Mushroom Festival). Larry has also developed the Spore Boy mushroom collecting sack and will be interviewed by CBS News. The interview will air on Sunday Morning 5/9/99.

Illinois Morels Found Wed, 14 Apr 1999, Schuyler County, Illinois. I found two gray morels on 4/13/99 while turkey hunting along a creek. They were on the East/southeast-facing side of the ravine. A good sign that it will start soon in that area. Bob

Illinois Morels. Wed, 14 Apr 1999, From: mike. Patiently waiting for the first sightings in JoDavies County, IL. If there are any reports of morels in this region please post something

Morels. Tue, 20 Apr 1999, From: Matt. The ILLINOIS crop are showing up in small numbers in the last week Ihave found about 5 pounds and man are they good.

Blacks found. 20 Apr 99, From: b. on 4/12/99: daughter and I found 62 in Ill. above St.Louis, Alton area in 2 1/2 hours. of total 2 were semilibris. happy hunting to all

Sighting. Tue, 20 Apr 1999, Hi, Tom & Vicki: We found 22 fresh grey morels ranging in size from 1" to 2 1/2" near Bloomington-Normal on 4/19/99. All but one near south edge of fenceline. I was surprised -- it seemed too cold and wet. We are due for more rain. I think if we had one or two warm sunny days, they'd pop up all over! It's torture going to work, when we want to be out there hunting! --Laurel & Wayne

Sighting. Fri, 23 Apr 1999 23:29:53 -0500. The greys are out in Linn county. I found a handful in a park near Marion this morning.

ROONS. Wed, 21 Apr 1999, I FOUND MY FIRST ONES! HEY Tom, thought you might like to know they are up around here (Henry). 55little grays...9yellow pretty big...1 big gray. Happy Hunting!! Roger

report. Sat, 24 Apr 1999, Illinois: 04/23/99 On our 2nd trip out this week we found 52 small grays onsouth hillside in northwestern Illinois. (Carroll county). Reports have numerous "sightings" this week in this area. Kaye

Morel Sightings: Illinois. Sat, 24 Apr 1999, Illinois: 4/24/99 - Sighted (and gathered haha) 72 black morels in Grundy county. The majority of the clusters were found on the northwest facing slopes. We also found a few bunches in the valleys. May apples were always close by the areas where we found the mushrooms. The soil in the area was VERY silty. The largest morel found was about 3 1/2 inches and the smallest was an inch in length. We're going out again tomorrow to see what else we can find !!----"The Stones"

First sightings list. Mon, 26 Apr 1999, John and Damon from Rockford, IL. April 26, We have been looking for about two weeks found first ones today, Found about 3 lbs around 75 mostly small greys some small yellow only afew over three inches, big ones should be here in a week

Morel Sightings. Tue, 27 Apr 1999, From: BLISSRD. Out hunting today in the rain, found about 10-12 dozen grays 2-3", also around 1 dozen yellows 3-5", April 27, 1999. Last week found around 2 dozen small grays. Starting to come on strong, now with the rain and a little sunshine and warmer weather it should be great hunting by the weekend. We are located in Kane County, the Aurora, Elgin area. We can't make Morel Mania this year, but already making plans to attend next year.

Spongee's in La Salle Co. Thu, 29 Apr 1999, Hi Folks! Spent 3 hrs. out in the woods this morn., and found 8 small yellows, 9 decent grays and a few half free morels, and saw a couple of big Dryad's Saddle, but I don't eat them! A friend told me that he found a big elephant ear, and I went to go see it, and it was a large Dryad's Saddle. I have heard old timers talk about Elephant Ears, but I don't know for sure what they are, possibly large oyster mushrooms??? I don't know. I'll keep you up to date here in La Salle Co. in Central Illinois! Bob D. Rutland, Illinois

SHROOM HEAVEN!! Thu, 6 May 1999, We are from the BIG town of Biggsville, Illinois. I went by my grandfather's directions in finding "that ol' cemetary" and my friend and I found them!! Mushroonz' that is!!! The first mushroom I found my daughter was with me and I was driving verrrry slllloooowwww along the tracks and GOOD GRIEF I seen a mushroom!!! Only one approximately the 2nd week of April 99'. Earliest I have seen them pop!!! Then my friend and I went to the cemetary which dated back to 1764. On the way there along the trail I found 1/2 lb. My friend Amy became disgusted because I was finding all of them!!! Right! She found a patch of debris and fallen trees and I was ready to leave after finding about a 1 lb. and I heard a faint YAHOOOOOOO!!!! She had found fungus among us!!!! We always go back and every time bring back more than the last!!! We always shake the mushrooms after we pick and have been trying to carry them in mesh bags to dispurse spores. Never be a quitter they are out there. It's like going on an Easter egg hunt. And never be greedy!!! Be thankful for what you find!!! Happy Hunting & Blessed Be. Amy & Tami

3 Morel's in a trailer park Decatur Illinois. Mon, 10 May 1999, My Sister Sherry found 3 Yellow Morel's in Jasper Trailer Park - Decatur, Illinois. My Wife, Brother and a couple of friends found 8 Yellow, 2 Grey and 1 Peckerhead Morel's around Coles County Illinois. 5-4-99. Great season for me, Jerry

Morels found. Fri, 14 May 1999, As i work for the railroad and travel both states between Waterloo,Iowa and Freeport,Illinois i have picked many greys and others over the past two weeks.Beware they are there but you must look closley as the grass is starting to take over. Many found between Galena and Freeport in Illinois and many in Iowa. Most have been 2 to 4 inches talls and some smaller. Good luck hunting and im still looking for more. Thanks, Jr.

Illinois sightings. Sat, 15 May 1999, Many found between Galena and Freeport must be very careful and lookclosely. They are there but grass is taking over finding many that are 2 to 4 inches. thanks Jr.

Indiana: Mon, 5 Apr 1999, Our family went mushroom hunting in southeastern Indiana on Sunday, 4/4/99 and although we didn't have much luck (we were hampered by a 2 yr old) we did run across a gentleman with a bag of 24 - 36 morels. They were 1 to 4 inches in height and very fresh. Can't wait 'til next weekend!! (gettin' a sitter for the 2 yr old)

Tue, 06 Apr 1999, I found two this morning, 4/5/99, in Morgan County in south central Indiana. One was 2", the other 4", both black morels. Oh, yes, tis the season to be hunting!!! Suz

Sat, 10 Apr 1999: 4/9/99 Finding blacks in the Terre Haute and Spencer areas. First ones were found 4/2/99. Some are now getting nice size...3-4". John

Sat, 10 Apr 1999, Indiana, 4/8/99 Yesterday Leroy and I drove down to Morgan Monroe state forest, found 134 blacks they were a little soft but tasted almost as good as michigan morels. Should be in Michigan in less than two weeks.....Ryn and Leroy

Tue, 13 Apr 1999, I am from the FT WAYNE area of Indiana. Just wanted to report I have found my first black mushrooms of this year . Found only 7 on 04/05/99 and another 15 on 04/12/99. They are just starting here. Looks to be a good year shaping up. Good luck to all . BICFISH

Tue, 13 Apr 1999, Just found this report sight today! Found first blacks 4/08/99 southeast of Indy. Today 4/13 found some greys(?) about 3/4" to 1"...that were not there the last two days!! Left them to see if they gain any size overnight!? This is only my third year and still looking for some good areas in central Indiana. Love your site, very helpful! (I also found my first blacks last year on 3/31/98) - Ed

Wed, 14 Apr 1999, From: Adam. Apr 11, 99 Wake up fellow Northern Hoosiers. Found a VERY nice little batch of blacks this weekend. It would crowd my woods to say exactly what city but Mad Anthony Wayne would be honored to know they are growing sooooooo close to his "Old Fort". Please take that as very helpfil hint! Good Luck to all and to all good pickin'.

Mushrooms found. Wed, 14 Apr 1999, From: kcj. andy and jeff from troy found about 10 blacks and a couple small grays in the morgan monroe state forest in indiana on 4/14/99

First sighting. Thu, 15 Apr 1999, From Ogofast. HURRAY!!! I finally found my first IBM ( Itty Bitty Mushroom) on 4/13 in the Indianapolis area. We are expecting cold weather this weekend... do you think that it could kill the crop?

1999 mushroom Sightings. INDIANA. April 14, My names Jeff and I,m thee wondering mushroom Hunter ! I Travel were ever the mushrooms are , And my First find this year was at Morgan - Monroe Forest . Myself and My Buddy Andy found Ten Blacks and Two Greys, We're ready for them to come on! Ohio Jeff

Indiana morels. 4-18-99 Found 40 nice fresh 2-4" blacks[elata] in Morgan-Monroe forestry. Saw some that were over a week old; but left them. 2 other hunters from another area in the forestry had about 30 fresh greys. Central & southern parts of state are wet enough; we need sun and 50 degree nights before they really come on. pete

GRAYS ARE UP. Tue, 20 Apr 1999, BICFISH Here , thought I would drop you a line to let you know the grays have arrived here in northeast Indiana. Have found a fair amount of blacks as of 04/18/99,but on 04/19/99 was the first of the grays. Depending on what side of the hills I was on determined the size of the mushrooms. Hope things just keep getting better. Plenty of rain the last week,but could use a little warmth from mother nature. Best of luck to all.

Mushrooms.Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999, Indiana. April 20, 1999 This is the Wondering Mushroom Hunter ! Ohio Jeff. Myself and my buddy Andy have found 65 mushrooms now at ( Monroe-Morgan Forest ) in Indiana. We found 10 Blacks and 2 Greys on April 12, 1999. Looks like there ready to Explode! Ohio Jeff

Mushrooms. Tue, 20 Apr 1999, Wanted to report that I found about 15 small sponges today Tuesday 4-20-99. I saw hundreds of small ones that are just popping up and can't wait for this weekend, hope no one else get there before me. This is just outside of Indianapolis, IN in Mooresville. Good Luck to ALL, David

Indiana Gyromitras. Tue, 20 Apr 1999, Not to recommend eating these (formerly delicious) mushrooms, but just found an outstanding fresh pair of these on my lunch break walk in the woods outside West Lafayette, IN. Look like Gyromitra Esculenta. Think I'll try dring them for desk ornaments. Tom

Indiana Mushrooms. Wed, 21 Apr 1999, From: Jason. We're finding good numbers of greys in north central IN. Marshall, Fulton,Pulaski,and Starke Counties.

Morels today! Wed, 21 Apr 1999, From: Robert We found 80 tans today in a creek bottom. I live in indiana,cass county! I would like some info on morels in florida,please! Thank you!

SIGHTINGS. Wed, 21 Apr 1999, From: Dave. 4-20-99 Found 94 nice blacks in the Michigan City Indiana area with a total of 1 1/2 pounds,sure were good eatin.

Another Sighting. Thu, 22 Apr 1999, From: Bill. The season has definately arrived. Last night we found 90 blacks in Northern Indiana (around the Indiana/Michigan stateline).

Poppin. Fri, 23 Apr 1999, From South Bend, Indiana. Have been finding black morels since April 10th. They started out small but are now quite larger. Should be into the grays this weekend; another two weeks before the yellows start. Lots of rain but need warmer temps. Good Shroomin to all.- Bruce

Indiana. Tue, 27 Apr 1999, From: ennes. 4/25 Found beautious fresh grays (but only 2) in Clinton County Indiana this a.m. Plus 2 snakeheads and one yellow. Mixed bag. We're a little North of Indy and a little South East of Lafayette.. Hoping for a great year!!

Report from the Mansfield, IN Mushroom Festival. 4/24 - 4/25, 1999. Great weather brought a large crowd of festival attendees and mushroom buyers. Our unofficial estimates are that auction prices averaged $50 to $70 per pound, and there were a lot of pounds sold! One Illinois hunter sold all he had on Saturday, went home and bought mushrooms from his brothers, and returned to sell those on Sunday. Winners were bringing in over 3 lbs. in the competition. Thanks to Joyce, Wendell, Frank, Sharon, Jack, Doyle, Jeff, and others for all you do to promote this great family activity.

INDIANA: 4/23 drove from North Florida and picked up a friend in North Carolina, drove onto our home town in east central Indiana, Wayne County, and went hunting Shrooms. Dogwoods not even yet in bloom, but found about 150 black sponge, 125 gray sponge, 80 yellow sponge, and 30 spikes (Mule Tails-pecker heads-half free morels) all in the same woods on the same day, including 40 big yellows under one dead apple tree. Hit the patch of blacks, biggest I ever have. What an enjoyable time! Dave & Chris

Indiana sightings. Sat, 01 May 1999, I found 138 mostly black only a few yellow in as northeast as you can get!!!!! I'll follow the elusive critters home to Michigan next week!! RAY;)

sightings. Sun, 02 May 1999, 5/1/99 David and Andrea found 70 morels in Tippecanoe county, Indiana. Most were yellows with a few greys. This was our first morel find!!!!

Mon, 3 May 1999, INDIANA: found 150 black sponge, 125 gray sponge, 80 yellow sponge and 30 spikes(half free morels) on April 24th in Wayne County, Indiana. First time I ever found all four kinds in the same woods on the same day.. Chris & Dave

Iowa: Iowa Morels, Tue, 13 Apr 1999, From: Graci. April 13th, 1999..... Went out this afternoon and found a dozen little greys. In Solon , Iowa

Morel sighting in iowa, Sun, 18 Apr 1999, From: jc. We were out saturday april 17, 1999 and found 36 little grays--big enough to eat. these were found in marion county around lake red rock.

Iowa morels. Mon, 19 Apr 1999. From: Karen. Went hunting Sunday, April 18, 1999 in Stephens State Forest in southern Iowa and found over 100 gray ones.

Marvelous Morels in Iowa. Mon, 19 Apr 1999, From: wallyhorse. Update from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Found about three dozen little greys, had to be very observant to locate the little rascals, but they sure were delicious. Looking forward to the melt-in-your mouth yellows. Happy hunting all you fellow fungi hunters!!

Iowa, Wed, 28 Apr 1999, My sister found 76 grey mushrooms near Sioux City in Western Iowa on April 27. She has enjoyed reading about the other reports from across the USA. Lujean

Kansas: Sat, 27 Mar 1999. From: Kent. Hello, The Morel season is about ready to begin here in Southeastern Kansaas. We have had good rains all Winter. Now just a little heat and we'll start pickin. We hunted last Wednesday and Thursday. Nothing yet. Another Morel hunter in Northeastern Oklahoma reported nothin yet, too. We need heat.

Sun, 4 Apr 1999, Southeastern Kansas. We checked a couple spots and was about to call it quits when we decided to check one more spot. At the last spot we found 4 little gray Morels. Not a big find but it got our fever started. Good luck all..... K

Tue, 6 Apr 1999, Hi all, Last night, 04-5-99, SouthEastern Kansas, we found 4 white Morels. Tonight, 04-6-99, we hit a good spot and found 10 gray Morels that weigh 3.75 pounds total. A nice find all in one patch. The biggest one measured 8 inches tall and 10 inches around. Pretty good eatin. All said and done we found 33 Morels at one location. The season is warmin up. Good luck all. K

Tue, 6 Apr 1999, Hi Tom and Vicky. Just to let you know we are now picking in North Central Kansas. Found over 100 nice grey ones this morning. Leroy Paden, NMMHA

Wed, 7 Apr 1999,10 of 'em weigh 3.75 lbs. SouthEast Kansas reportin in! They were good. Like eatin little steaks, very good steaks!....Cut'em 'n half and fried them up.... k

Sat, 10 Apr 1999, Tom and Vicky, The sightings page is great. Keep it up. It is very useful information. Southeastern Kansas not doing to well, yet. We have found 95 Morels from 6 hunts. For us, this is sorry hunting. Of course, the 10 big'ens were especially good. Morel folklore, guesstamations, oldtimers and newbies believe SE Kansas needs rain and heat. .... k

Sun, 11 Apr 1999, North East Kansas. Took a little stroll in the woods this afternoon for an hour or so. To my surprise I found 4 greys and 1 yellow about the size of my thumb. Didn't expect to find any. I believe we will be in the season pretty good by this weekend. Dave

Sightings 99. Tue, 20 Apr 1999, From: Kent. Tom and Vicky, Not one of our best seasons but we are having fun and enjoying fresh Morels. As of Sunday, 4-18-99, we have found 189 Morels. No big patches. Most were taken 1 or 2 at a time, 10 in one patch has been the biggest find. We are still waiting on the mother load. Southeastern Kansas... k

Thu, 22 Apr 1999, From: Jolene. Yellows and greys are up near Manhattan, Kansas on south facing slopes. We've had lots of rain with a few sunny, warm days in between.

Kentucky: Thu, 1 Apr 1999, I found my first morels this afternoon in Caldwell County, KY on April 1, 1999. The season is just starting there I only found about 25 black morels (normally I get around 1000 mushrooms total from this spot). Gary

Fri, 2 Apr 1999, They're here. I found 24, April 1 in about an hour. i'm in south central Ky. My brother in northern Ky didn't find any yet. I can't wiat to get out today, the sun is just coming up, and its looking very promising. See ya, Mark

Sat, 3 Apr 1999, Hi Vicki and Tom, Dugan went out today and found only four. But that's a start. He'll be bringing so many in here in the next few weeks I'll be sick of them by the time it is over. Bye. :)

Sun, 4 Apr 1999, Alright, I found 121 black morels today in Caldwell County, KY. Gary

Thu, 8 Apr 1999, From: Dana. Just found 5, 3-5 inch Morel's in Gravel Switch, Kentucky on 4/7/99. They're out and should be really poppin' up now. Good luck!

Sun, 11 Apr 1999, From: Scott and Ann - Have found 225 black morels so far since April 1. We are in Barren County, KY.

Kentucky Morels? Mon, 26 Apr 1999, 3rd year here in Central Kentucky. Have'nt found any yet and getting frustrated. On the other hand, I guess they'll just taste three times as good when I do. If anyone local has any info on sightings in the Lexington area, PLEASE POST!! Thanks, Dave

FOUND MORELS IN KENTUCKY. Tue, 27 Apr 1999, Just wanted to let everyone know that yesterday, April 26th, I found130 Morels in about 2 hours, in Northern Kentucky. Been looking for 2 weeks and found a few spikes and a few blacks but nothing yet this year yesterday. They were yellow and grays - medium size. I was a little lucky and came upon one that measured 5" tall and 7 1/2" round. Going to have a mess for supper tonight. JUDY, SOMEWHERE IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY......

Michigan: Sun, 11 Apr 1999, Hi Tom & Vicky, Memeber of our Mushroom Club hit the woods this week to see if there were any morels popping up. I found 15 in my neck of the woods yesterday and some of them were 2" high. Over on the coast of Lake Michigan, they found some the same size...so morel season has begun in Michigan! Happy Hunting! Linda

Sun, 11 Apr 1999, Nice page. I wanted to let you know that I found four tiny black morels in extreme south-western lower Michigan last Friday, April 9. They were found in one of my best early producing spots after an extremely warm night with rainfall. I would expect to see a good number of blacks up here in about a week to 10 days, weather depending. Ken.

4/9/99: adozen or so blacks found in the Crystal Lake, Mi. area-also 63 found by Edmore. Sorry I didn't get info to you sooner but I just found your site. Happy schrooming everyone. Mike

#1, Tue, 13 Apr 1999, Found a single "Black" this afternoon , all buy itself, but rhe first of the season...near Grand Haven, Michigan. Need some warmer nights. Good hunting! D

Michigan Morels, Friday- April 16th, My wife and I went looking in the Mesick area today, and found 192 blacks. As always, she won the contest by finding 2 more than me. they were quite small, but I know what I`m having for dinner tonight (smile). I`m not sure if they need rain or sun to help them inprove in size. I will be back in the woods next weekend to see if they start poping up more. Left many small ones in the woods that we could see. HAPPY HUNTING TO ALL MY MOREL HUNTING FRIENDS. Colin & Patti

Morel Hunting, Sat, 17 Apr 1999, From: Jill. I found your site today and it got my hopes up to go morel hunting. So my husband and I decided to put on our hiking boots, we grabbed our walking sticks and headed our for a trip in the woods. We just got back from looking for those great tasting morels in Caledonia Michigan. Unfortunetly we were not sucessful. we have had quite a bit of rain, but I predict that we need a couple more warm days/nights and they will be popping up all over. So in the mean time....Happy Hunting to All!!

Morels in Northern Michigan, Sat, 17 Apr 1999, From: Steve. The black fungus is coming up early this year. My family and I found almost 200 in the last three days. Fairly small, but still taste great. Best part about it is that no one else in out looking for them yet. Should be a good year if we get more rain.

Morel Findings. Mon, 19 Apr 1999. From: B.W. My husband and I went out yesterday in Southwest Lower Michigan and found 7 small whites. They were very fresh and looked like they justcame up overnite. It rained all weekend but has been colder than normal. We heard a report on Michigan Out-of-Doors TV show on Saturday that a few have also been found in Allegan County, Michigan.

Found 14 black morels on april 18th, near Brethren, (MI) then then on the 19th found 377 blacks (a lot of small ones) in the same area. I live on lake michigan so i will check out my 80 acres of hardwoods on the 20th .. :)

Michigan Morels. April 22,99. The weather has been a little cold in Southeastern Michigan of late. Last weekend 4-17-99 in Macomb county I had moterate success, 27 greys. 27 is actually pretty good for this area, if it warms up any time soon we should have a pretty good start on the season. Happy hunting. J.T.

Update,Michigan. Fri, 23 Apr 1999, Hi all, I said I would update the hunters about the Mesick area in Michigan. My wife and I went again on 4-23. We got a total of 561 in about 5 hours. Much better size than last weekend. Next week we are expecting 60 to 70 degrees all week. Get ready for some great hunting. I wish everyone the best of luck. We also took a friend with us and he got about 100 of the tasty fungi. I will update your site next week after Ireturn from my next hunt. I realy love this site, thank you for it. Colin & Patti

N.KENT COUNTY ROOMS. Mon, 26 Apr 1999, From: SCOTT. MI. N. KENT COUNTY. Rooms are out pretty good 130+ On 4/24 another 140+ On 4/25 All 2" To 4" tall. HAPPY HUNTING AND GOOD LUCK.

Lansing, MI. Tue, 27 Apr 1999, Hey Everyone, Went out Monday Apr. 26th. I found two small ones after about 2 hrs. Hope more will come up soon! Happy Hunting Chris

Morel sightings. Tue, 27 Apr 1999, Hi there, love the page. It's very interesting this time of year to see all the sightings. Well, I found about 15 last night near Lake Ann, MI. 2-4" in size--very tasty. Going out to look for more tonight after work. Today is Tuesday April 26. Good luck to you. Jay

Here in Hart, Michigan. Tue, 27 Apr 1999, From: Vicky. We found a few small morels on Monday the 26th of April. I hear reports that they are coming on great but need warmer nights. Hart is in West Michigan near the Lake.

Wed, April 28 Found 72 small gray today. Battlecreek area. First of the year. More to come I hope!!!! Jerry

East-Central Michigan Morels. Sat, 08 May 1999, 7 May 99 Found a dozen scattered angusticeps in mixed hardwood in East-Central Michigan (Midland county).Our area has been too dry for a good season. Normal yield for this area would have been 3-4 dozen. Freshness varied from fresh-up to several days old. Ralph & Donna

Minnesota: Morels in MN. Fri, 30 Apr 1999, My husband and I found 25 small gray to black morels in SE MN on 4/30. We looked between Red Wing and Wabasha, MN in the parks and found them around dead elms. Judy and Steve

Morels in Minnesota. Tue, 4 May 1999, From: Joseph. Minnesota: My fellow biology teacher at school found just a handful of morels along a river bank April 24th. I read of another person finding a few around Minneapolis today, May 4th, but they were drying up. We are getting rain tonight, so hopefully, we'll be seeing an influx soon.

Found in Minnesota. Mon, 10 May 1999, On May 08 1999 Five Greys were found in s.e. Mn.

Morels in Minneosta. Mon, 10 May 1999, Hi, Found morels by the 100's on May 9, 1999 about 35 miles south of Duluth, MN in an old field with blueberry and bracken fern. No hardwoods of the usual sort- just quaking aspen and balsam poplar near the edges and scattered mature and young spruce and balsam fir. Sandy soil with podzolic horizon. GBW

MN Morels. Wed, 12 May 1999, Morels are out in Southeastern Mn!! 3-4 inch yellows and grays. Found them as early as May 6!!! Kareen

MN. Sun, 16 May 1999, My husband is from IL and I had never mushroom hunted until last year down in IL. What a kick. My son yesterday was out in our woods in North Central MN and found a smallmorel. We checked again this morning and found 5 decent size ones. We think it may have been to damp to get really going but am hoping for a day of sunshine to really see them popping out of the ground. How exciting to think they maybe out there in my own backyard! Pikkel

Missouri: Tue, 30 Mar 1999, I want to report the findings of 5 small Morchella elata for Southeast Missouri. Not a feast, but hey, they've started! Jean, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Sat, 3 Apr 1999, 4/3/99 The hunt is on in east central Missouri! I bagged 30 black morels in Jefferson County. They ranged in size from 2 to 5 inches tall. Found five of them beneath a park bench while taking a break! Happy Hunting - MAX

Sun, 04 Apr 1999, From: "The Swain's" Found 33 black ones and tomorrow is lookin better cape girardeau,mo

Mon, 5 Apr 1999, Went to my favorite spot this morning for a few hours and found two small white morels. They were under sycamore trees in heavy leaf cover.This same date last year I found 25 whites but last year was an early crop due to EL NINO.I think were about two weeks away from prime season here in St. Charles, MO. I'll keep you posted. Love your web site. DARREN & RITA.

Tue, 6 Apr 1999. Found one small 2" tall gray Morel this morning 04/06/99 tramped the woods for 3 hours and checked many spots that are "surefire" I believe that sometime next week around the 12th or 13th in the St. Louis area will be the real start. Martin, St. Louis MO

Mon, 12 Apr 1999, Wanted to report that I found 5 small common morels on 4\5\99. I also went out looking today, and found 3 moresmall commons. My name is kevin, and I live in lincoln county, Missouri, In N.E. MO. Just wanted to let you know!

Tue, 13 Apr 1999, 4/13/99 Another update from east-central Missouri. Still finding some blacks (around 120 since 4/3/99), but they seem to be fading away. Hopefully more rain this week will help! Finally found about 22 whites today. So far, both the blacks and whites are much smaller in size this year than in years past. Has anyone else noticed this? -- MAX

Fri, 16 Apr 1999, Reporting from East Central Missouri....Scott, Pete, Judy and Kathy found 45 early white morels on 04/06/99. Went out again today, 04/16/99, and found 80 morchella esculentas in the cold rain. Looks like we are going to have a bumper crop this year. We also noticed there are very few "half-free" morels this year, not sure if there's a connection. This is the earliest we have found any esculentas for as long as we can remember. Good Hunting!!!

St Louis Co, Mo. Sun, 18 Apr 1999. Morels are out in east central Missouri. We found 60 white and black morels last weekend. It was cool this week, delaying our season, but 70's are forcast next week. Good hunting to you this season. L. H.

Thu, 22 Apr 99, From: KIM. morels found in N.W. Missouri, approx. 1/2 pound . Golf ball sized or just a bit bigger

Morels in NW Missouri.Tue, 27 Apr 1999, My son and I found 5 white morels in the Missouri river bluffs Sunday April 25. Its been raining daily since last Thursday but seems a little cold. It's supposed to rain all week and warm up into the 70's. That should get them going. Steve

Montana: Thu, 8 Apr 1999, Hello. The earliest date I have found morels in MW Montana was April 4,1993. Today is the 8th and nothing yet. Not even verpas. But, in our area the grouse drumming and the pasque flowers are all indicators and both showed up today. But that doesn't mean you don't keep looking. Steve - Eureka MT

Fri, 9 Apr 1999, From: Coopers, A dozen nice fresh ones 4/9/99. Extreme NW Montana.

Nebraska: Thu, 8 Apr 1999, From: Mr. Hugo. Southwest Nebraska April 8th. Went out the last two days and didn't find any (we had some rain and some great weather with high 60s -low 80s temps. Today was very windy with the temperature going up and down. Found 11 today with only one being bigger than a golf ball. A good rain and some hot weather and they should start popping up.

SW Nebraska. Thu, 15 Apr 1999, Still pretty slow - usually find 6 to 12 each outing. Some blacks some yellows - the yellows have been the bigger morels I have found. Today it was all yellows - yesterday was all blacks. Usually find them as I am giving up for the day but am then spurred on. We finally had a little moisture with the warmer temps to arrive this weekend. So far most of them I have found have been in the taller grass and not in the open. Will give you another update early next week. Thanks for your site! Regards, Nathan

Record morels. Mon, 17 May 1999, Can you tell me if there is a record book of the biggest morels, etc. I am from Nebraska and found one that weighs one pound and three ounces and measures 13 inches tall. I have been surfing all around and can not find any kind of records. Thank You. Cliff, Nehawka, NE

New Jersey: Morel's. Tue, 27 Apr 1999, I have found 9 (sponge) Morel's that I picked up 4 years ago. I thought I lost them and today I found them. I live in NJ and used to deliver food products to restaurants and I had a jar come open on me so I picked up the ones that were on the floor of the truck and took them home. Until today I was unable to find them. Thank God! Jerry originally from Charleston, Illinois. P.S. The Mushrooms were over $100.00 a dried Lb. at the time of delivery. :-)

Morel surprise. Sun, 2 May 1999, I just found your site and plan to visit often. I'm a transplanted Hoosier with little hope of finding morels here in New Jersey -- correction, I had little hope of finding morels here in NJ. I was out for a walk in a Hammonton neighborhood and much to my surprise found a m. esculenta (to the best of my knowledge) sprouting from a flower bed next to the sidewalk. The bed was mulched with fine light shavings/chips, and the mushroom was perhaps 4-5 inches tall, with only a couple nibbles from insects or a squirrel (I'm more inclined to believe the former as a squirrel certainly would've eaten more). The sighting was 4/25. Until that time, I had only seen one other in NJ, a very small specimen 3-4 years ago in the dirt next to a house in Camden. I had been told that there were none to be found here and planned to go hunting in PA this weekend or next. I'm reconsidering my options now with this recent sighting, although the spawn could've easily arrived with the mulch. Any comments from anyone with experiences here in NJ would be greatly appreciated. Regards... Ray

New York New York Sighting. Fri, 14 May 1999, My wife and I (surprise) found morels, MORCHELLA ESCULENTA, growing in our backyard in Pawling, New York. This is a relatively swampy area with a number of dead and dying elm trees. Pawling is located in New York's Harlem Valley, about 65 miles due north of New York City. I have never heard of people finding them in their backyard before, so I'm wondering if this might be an oddity. Matthew, Pawling, NY

North Carolina: Sun, 11 Apr 1999, Found 34 black morels on Easter Sunday, 42 blacks on4/8 and 61 today (4/11) in Western NC. Happy 'shrooming, Steve

Asheville, NC -Black Morels. , April 13,1999, Found some nice black ones near a creek today. Didn't expect much as last year I found not a single one. Am new to the area [from D.C. where they are extremely plentiful] so last year was a disappointment because I had been told that they were all over the place in the mountains of NC. Anyway this is a good sign for the coming months. RK

blue ridge morels? Fri, 7 May 1999, Just found your site and have to ask if you are familiar with the Hendersonville, North Carolina area? This is apple country with lots of rather acid soil. I grew up in northern Indiana and hunted morels as a child but have never found any here in H'ville until the other day. On the shady side of the house, in a heavily mulched area were gray morels growing right up next to some concrete patio block we had installed as steps. Since I wasn't sure they even grew here, I took them to the county extension office for verification and they have since forwarded them to Raleigh. Haven't heard back as yet and no new ones have surfaced, but I was wondering if they will reappear next year and what I might do to encourage their return, assuming they are truly morels. Any help you might send my way would be greatly appreciated. Jane

North Dakota Wed, 28 Apr 1999, Awful early for morels around here but couldn't help looking today (April 28). No morels but did find about 2 dozen Verpa bohemica. Have never found one before so for a short time I was thrilled. True morels can't be far behind. I'll keep you posted. Cal

North Dakota. April 12th, Been raining for the last straight week. yesterday was the first non-rain day. Morels are really starting to show up. A friend and I have spotted over 100 and are waiting for them to increase in size before we pick. Have also found a good patch of spring Shaggy Manes. Happy Hunting. Cal

ND Morels. Tue, 4 May 1999, Greeting from S.E. North Dakota. Was out today ( 05-04-99 ) and found two small ones that weren't there yesterday Have had dry warm weather for the last two weeks and finally a trace of rain last night. It's raining again now with larger amounts and more forecast, so have hopes of finding fair amounts this weekend. I like your page. Wish more states would respond with their sightings. Can't believe that MN hasn't produced yet. Keep looking~~~~~~~~watrboy~~~~~~~~~~~~~

North Dakota. Thu, 13 May 1999, Hey what gives. Do you quit updating your site as soon as the picking starts in the fair weather states? Up here in ND things start late and I had hoped to use this site as a sort of geographical clock. As per my last two reports things are starting to happen here in S.E. North Dakota (5-13-99). Picked 6 lbs. of beauties last night. Will be out everyday from now tell they quit. And with the weather like it is that may be quite a while. This by the way is the first year that I've found more than a dozen or so. Have always had dreams of being able to fill a grocery bag, and last night we did. After 5 years I think I've actually figured out where/when/how to find them. Hope others out there are still finding the little sponge faces peeking out of the forest floor. Cal

ND Update. Mon, 17 May 1999, Back again with more Morel stories from North Dakota. Weds. May 12th 6lbs. Thurs. May 13 .75 lb. (quick hunt for supper) Fri. Stayed Home. Sat May 15 7.22 lbs. Sun. May 16 13.6 lbs. Wish it could last forever, know it won't. From S.E. N.D.~~~~~~HAPPY HUNTING, Cal

Ohio: 3/25/99 We had a real Warm Spell between the 1st and 2nd week of March. A friend of mine in Southwest Ohio claimed to find One in a small woods on her property. Not having actually seen it I will call this an Unconfirmed Report. She said it was tasty... I called her a *****. Good Hunting (as long you're not in my woods... grin)

Tue, 30 Mar 1999, Hello! my name is beth and I thought I'd let you know that I've found one tiny black shroom on3-25-99. I live in the southeastern part of Ohio. Good Luck!

Mon, 5 Apr 1999, We live in southeastern Ohio and were successful on out first outting....46 shrooms with largest being 3 1/2 in....not as many as we would like but will do for the first mess....If we wouldn't have had company we would have had more....Hard to pick them up with someone watching....Great day in the woods....Will try again soon....Good Luck to all....Rob and Becky

Fri, 9 Apr 1999, Found two blacks in northeast Ohio today, 4-9-99

Sat, 10 Apr 1999, Leah, Hi: Would like info on Morel areas in Ohio, preferably SE Ohio, Cincinnati area and also times to hunt, also in Central Ohio, Springfield, Ohio area. Thanks for the service.

Second time out: Mon, 12 Apr 1999, April 12,1999-Again I am from southwestern Ohio, only had 2 hours of daylight left for this hunt. Could have used a flashlight on my cap...Still found 69 shroomes average size being 3". Will make a very good meal tomorrow night...Had to leave quite a few, will return tomorrow after work. Most of the 69 were very fresh but you could tell that a few had weathered the sun. Doesn't seem like the weather changes from warm to cold is really affecting them. Would like to hear more about finds in Ohio...Now is the time. Again happy hunting....Rob

Morels. Sun, 18 Apr 1999, From: Jerry. We are from the Dayton Ohio area, we searched our favorite area today (Sun 18th) found one lonely early morel, very fresh looking!]

First sighting. Wed, 21 Apr 1999, From Marci in NE Ohio:Every year we find a small amount of our favorite mushrooms beside our driveway. Checked today and the yellow morels are about 1" high. Will let them go til they get to their normal 4" size. Thought everyone in Stark, Carroll, and Summit counties might like to know. Great website!!

Morels. This is Jerry from Dayton Ohio again, we found 8 grays (blacks ?) today Friday the 23rd. We also found 3 "Snakeheads" (half free morels) they were a little aged. We also checked an area in Ross county the 20th but found nothing! looks like a late season for us.

Morels. From: brian. 4.25.99. found 100 yellows in west central Ohio today.very few grays.seems like everything is peaking real quick...

MotherLoad. Tue, 20 Apr 1999, First sign of the redbuds and dogwoods in Warren Co. Ohio came early this year and has had me out hunting my fields since the first week of April. Got my first insights to an early year with 2 accidental finds of yellows and snakeheads on the 8th of April while hunting for Indian Artifacts, which of course incited the insanity of everyday hunting since then. On the 19th I spent an hour walking my payoff field and ran into a patch of yellows that were between 3 and 4 inches. It took me near an hour before I could actually decide to pick them, I wanted to give them a few days, but I know my field has been discovered, so I picked, stuffed with crab and lobster, and ate alone. Get Ready, here they come, i feel a record crop this year. (as I do every year), Chef Dave

YMMM GOOD! Sun, 25 Apr 1999, From: Kay. Found a mess of mushrooms, nearly in my back yard yesterday and today. Had a wonderful dinner. Granville, Ohio.

Oklahoma: March 20, Hi, LeRoy (Paden) wanted me to let you know his season has begun. He's been picking on the Texas- Oklahoma border the last few days.He said some of them were a little black on the tops from snow or frost.He's having a GREAT beginning and hopes it doesn't get cut short like last season.Thank You Judy Paden. Webdude's note: We don't normally list last names, but we know Leroy won't mind. He and his wife, Judy, are in charge of the National Morel Mushroom Hunter's Association.

Fri, 02 Apr 1999, Just wanted to let you know that I found 6 nice morels (4 "yellow" and 2 white) in a small track of woods (04/1/99) in the Tulsa, OK area. Just coincidence the date...I really found some. Going back out today since I have more time. Ahhhh...the season has begun. Larry

Oregon: Mon., 3/29/99. Just talked to a friend in Cave Jct. Oregon and he found a few blacks last week....just passing this info on for your page. rgds, Randy

Pennsylvania: Thu, 1 Apr 1999, I grew up in Pa., and went hunting in Pa. with my Dad when I was a Kid. I have searched on and off for the past 10 years, with little results!!! Today I went out in a spring rain to search where the spring turkeys are traveling. We have had some 70 degree weather with some rain in the last 2 days. I saw my first Morel in 6 years today. Under an apple tree in an orchard that I have not searched in 10 years. It looks like I have a chance to hunt Morels again, there has to be more coming up. Was a black,about 1 inch high, I can't wait!! The warm weather and rain can't come soon enough!! If I find 30 this year, I will be happy!! I live near the W.V. Line, and it yes, found on State Game Lands. If I find 10 this year, it will be a good year, because I can remember the good times I had with my Dad!!! I would like to find more and will report if I am LUCKY enoughj!!! Thanks,Tuco!!!

Pipersville, PA, Sat, 17 Apr 1999, From: Dennis Oneal. Found three very young specimens of black morel, 4/17/99 season late this year, but they're coming... Just like Godzilla

PA, BUCKS CO. Sun, 18 Apr 1999. From: D.O. Found 3 blacks today. Just beginning to surface from the oak leaves..still a bit chilly here, Hope to be in full swing by next weekend.

PENNA. SIGHTINGS. Tue, 20 Apr 1999, From: Donald. Mon. April 19,1999---South Park, Pittsburgh PA.---Just picked a couple dozen,, but they sure tasted good for supper when scrambled in with eggs and ramps.

Mon, 26 Apr 1999, 21:From: Tim. Greetings Fello Morel Hunters; Finally!!! Extreme Southern Bedford County Pennsylvania, less than a mile from Maryland. Found 11 blacks and 1 gray.

Pittsburgh, PA Found 45 yellow morels on Monday, April 26, but they were all small (about 2 - 4 inches tall) and they were all drying out, and full of dirt. Looking good, but we need rain NOW, before they all dry up. Maugli

Rain dance. Sat, 01 May 1999, please help, from pipersville, pa. Help, a ridge of high pressure has settled upon the midatlantic states just as the morel season has started.. no rain expected for 2 weeks now..morels are fruiting from last april rains, but small and not too many. Please perform your best rain dance before going to bed tonight, the "east coasties" will greatly appreciate it.... sincerely, THE QUEEN OF MORELS

Found. Fri, 07 May 1999, Just found three, first ever morels in Honesdale, Wayne County, PA. They are dark grey brown with yellow grey stems which are hollow. One was old and the other two appear to be perfect. Found in old wooded area among leaves. Most of trees are cherry and beech. at one time there were many sugar maples there also. Stan

Morels. Mon, 10 May 1999, Somerset County Pa. Morels are up,warm weather but need some rain. Found about ten black ones and twenty yellows.Darren

South Carolina: I just moved to Greenville South Carolina this winter. Do these fabulous Fungi grow here? If so, when can I expect to begin my diligent digging through the foliage to find them? Please respond as I am terribly Home sick and hope to find something to tide me over until my next trip to Peoria Il. Tom E

South Dakota Tue, 11 May 1999, found a few including an 8 inch tall yellow! timberland along the missouri river se corner near Vermillion.

Tennessee: Tue, 30 Mar 1999, From: BoDean. On the 28th the Construction supervisor at the school where I teach found 45 Black Morel Mushrooms in Houston County, TN.

Thu, 8 Apr 1999, Tennessee: Found three black morels,not too fresh, after a seven hour drive from north Florida, five or more miles of trails in 4 different state parks and forests in North Georgia and south Tennessee around Chattanooga. Not very good results. Next time I will just go back to my "sure" patches up in Indiana. Wish I was there right now! Chris

MORELS!!!!! Sun, 18 Apr 1999, From: SP. Found over 700 in East Tenn this weekend. The season is here. They were mostly blacks, but a few small yellows were fruiting.

Morels in Knoxville Tn. Thu, 13 May 1999, Hello, my name is Eddie, I keep a record of when I go, where I go and how many I find each hunt, I found them this year on March 24th this year last year it was March 22nd, I found 2741 last season, and we broke our record this year with 3528!!! We really did great, the last ones come the first week of May, my last hunt was May 1st, we had a best hunt of 426 in about 3 hours !!!!!!!! I am also. My cousin, my brother, his daughter, and I went on a hunt that we found 307 on..........Eddie.........

Texas: March 20, Hi, LeRoy (Paden) wanted me to let you know his season has begun. He's been picking on the Texas- Oklahoma border the last few days.He said some of them were a little black on the tops from snow or frost.He's having a GREAT beginning and hopes it doesn't get cut short like last season.Thank You Judy Paden. Webdude's note: We don't normally list last names, but we know Leroy won't mind. He and his wife, Judy, are in charge of the National Morel Mushroom Hunter's Association.

Virginia: Thu, 01 Apr 1999, found 77 of the light variety today very young & tender.looking for other south central virginia lookers. Good hunting, Crossfire

Sun, 4 Apr 1999, From: Sean, I'm in central VA and still looking. I'll keep you posted.

Morels (what else?) Date: Sun, 18 Apr 1999. I live in the central Va. area and I have been finding morels for the past 3 and a half weeks, I filled a plastic grocery bag full in about an hour, bad back holds me back quite a bit. I have found them in the mountains around Glasgow Va. Easter weekend, and around Buckingham County the past 2 weeks, recent rain really helped alot. Just thought you would like to know. JD

Virginia Sightings. It's April 15, and we found our 1st 60 mushrooms last weekend - a week or two earlier than usual. We are in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley. These were all black, medium sizes and very moist. Scrumptious! Jeanie

Virginia morels. Hello fellow morel hunters. Just got back from two day morel hunt. Picked 5 lbs. in that time. Location. Not for everyone.Lets say southwest. I also found what seems to be an early yes really early Morchella deliciosa these usally appear two weeks from now. Date of finds were 4/12 and 4/13. George.

Mushrooms in VA. Thu, 22 Apr 1999, We found about 100 black, very moist, morels in the mid Shenandoah Valley beginning the first week of April. This is a little early for us. Its dry, most are in low areas near may apples and tulip poplars. Jeanie

Morel Sighting. Thu, 22 Apr 1999, Greetings, I am an Indiana native transplanted here in Northern Va. Not exactly the same climate but finally two years ago I hit the jackpot and found about 75 black and yellow morels not 50 yds from my door! Last year was a little weak. I am hoping that this year will be better. So far I have located a small patch of 5-6 yellows. Wish me luck. Rich

Posted a morel siting. Thu, 22 Apr 1999, I posted a sighting 1 1/2 weeks ago. It some how did not make it to you listing. I was the hunter from Pa. that picked 5 pounds in south west Va. Was this not a sizeable find or did I just get passed over. I also found one of the earliest whites to be put up on you listing. So what did really happen to my e-mail to you ? I am heading back to my spot this weekend to start to pick the whitish yellow ones hopefully. Chat with you later. Thanks George from Pa. George, Sorry, We thought it was a Pennsylvania Sighting, then saw that it was a report on Virginia, so we had to get a rental truck to move it!!!! Actually, we've been running behind (we're slower than mushrooms) and mushroomer hunters are usually very patient people except during mushroom season, and it looks like this is the season.

Washington: First Morel in Washington State, Sat, 10 Apr 1999, From: d.k., Found my first Morchella Esculenta of the season in the cottonwoods along the Columbia River today. Only found one, but it was pretty, and very fresh. Found it in an area where I picked 66 mushrooms last year, so plan on having a feed in a few days.

Washington State. Thu, 29 Apr 1999, I am an avid morel hunter here in S.W. Washington and every year I search up the Columbia Gorge and toward Mt. Adams starting toward the end of May. The first ones I found this year were yellows and in the first week of April, but they were far and few between. The next week was marginally better. Last week the season finally started to kick in with with the numbers and variety. Good Hunting.

West Virginia: WV 'Shrooms! Mon, 12 Apr 1999, Hi all! I just found this web site,& am so excited to see so many other morel enthusiasts! As I found no report on the first finds in WV, I thought I would write. My daughter & her boyfriend found a very nice little "mess" April 11 in Grandview State Park located near Beckley,WV.We have had very warm,dry weather for the past couple of weeks,but finally got some rain this weekend...& the 'shrooms are now in season! I can't wait to get out there & find some "mosies" for myself! Happy hunting & good luck to all my fellow Morel lovers!.........Lee - Beckley,WV

Mushroom's in WV. Wed, 14 Apr 1999, From: Expose.14 april 1999 found 30 mushrooms in cabin creek West Virginia

Wisconsin: Tue, 06 Apr 1999, Tom and Vicky - This is Jason from South West WI. First of all I love your web-sites. Last fall (September) I had bought a morel refridgerator magnet from your catalog (very realistic). I have been looking at this magnet all winter and thinking about morel hunting every day. Well I couldn't take it any more I had to go to one of my early spots and see how things were coming. Today is the 7 of April. Well, all you Wisconsin SHROOMERS here's what I found out. After crawling around on my hands and knees at 3 different locations (all facing south) I couldn't seem to coax a morel up. I scratched around under the leaves and fallen bark only to find an earth worm. The moss is starting to come and the trees are starting to bud - all good signs that it won't be long. Last year was early here in South West WI. I had spotted the first morel on April 14. This year will be early as well (Thank God!). I predict between the 14 and 21 of April morels will be spotted here in WI. The season should be in full swing by the 28 of April. I've been wrong before (only once - Ha Ha) so don't get to excited yet. I'll be checking my spots periodically and will let you know when I spot one. Happy and Safe Hunting Everyone!!

Tue, 13 Apr 1999, Hey all Wisconsin Shroomers get your morel gear out of the closet!! This is Jason again from South West Wisconsin. Today-April 13 at 5:13 P.M. I finally spotted 3 very small grey morels! They were all only 3/4 of an inch high. My eyes lit up like a childs on Christmas morning. It is always a ritual of mine to to eat the first morel I find in the woods raw. It was DELICIOUS!! The morels will be 3-4 inches high on South facing slopes and in open areas in about a week to 10 days. This is when I'll start harvesting them. Well, I'll let you know when there big enough to harvest. I have moved my prediction date up to the 22 of April. Once again Happy and Safe Hunting Everyone!

First Morels. Mon, 19 Apr 1999, From: Gavin. Found a few blacks in far northern Door County Wisconsin today. I was surprised but happy. With a little rain they might be ready and willing.

Morels...Wed, 21 Apr 1999, Hello Tom and Vicky, Finally found some "whites" on a south facing slope on Tuesday the 20th of April. They were not there on Saturday, the 17th. (While Jason was down in Jonesboro, I held down the homefront with a keen eye.) There were only two whites, which were very easily spotted. They were both about 2 and half inches in height. I know they will reach the 5 to 7 inch range within a week. It kind of concerns me because Jason and I have picked anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds on this particular hillside in past years. I could only find 2! I would think at this point most of the shrooms on that particular hillside should be spotted. Makes me wonder about just what kind of quanitity to expect in the next couple of weeks.... The soil on this hillside is "soft" (your foot sinks a bit) and mossey, it is loaded with all kinds of little trees that are dead. The sun ahs direct access....When we are hunting other places and we run into a soil that has this texture and feel, even if no dead elms are around, we look! Usually dig up some "strays". On the smaller grays in the ditch lines that were spotted on the 13th, they are about 2 inches tall themselves, definately grown over the last week all though it has been cooler than what we'd like to see. Just thought I'd give you an update on WI shrooms.....(we'll be picken next week for sure.) Brett

Morels in Wisconsin (Dane County) Fri, 30 Apr 1993. Just west of Madison, found several grays at most 2 inches tall around a year or two old short stump, in the grass around it. This was at the edge of a park's grass, but not into the woods. I didn't venture into the woods too far, since it takes alot of energy to search for those. (Why not wait until they get big, juicy and even tasier, hmmmm?)Found a few similarly sized ones at an area about 10 miles west of that (Black Earth/Blue Mounds area) at a favorite spot of mine. Last year I got to that spot a bit late, so the most fruiting that was happening seemed to be focused on and around a deer carcass. Went back to that spot and around those shiny-white cleaned bones were a few more of the 2 inch grays! Weather's drying a bit, and although the valleys west of Madison are moist in the troughs, I think the south-facing slopes could use a good dose of rain. That would probably send the Morel population a growin' big time, yeah! ------Mike

Northern Wisconsin. Thu, 06 May 1999, I will be going to the Boulder Junction area the last week in May and the first week in June and was wondering if there will be any mushrooming opportunities at that time. Thanks in Advance. Clay. PS this has been one of my best years ever I live in Indiana.

Wisconsin morels, Sun, 9 May 1999, I'm sure others have found morels before us but we have a wooded spot behind our garage with a southerly exposure that finally had morels (7) as of Saturday, May 8th. Just in time for a great mother's day feast. We looked nearby in the Northern part of the Kettle Moraine forest (between Fond du Lac and West Bend) on Saturday but only found 4 half-free morels (long stem, little cap). I'm still trying to decide whether they are edible. Last year we picked 100 of them and I became terribly sick within hours of eating some, but my husband didn't so I don't know whether it was the 'shrooms or not. We're using our priceless 7 to put in fettucine with morels and asparagus tonight. Bon apetit! Judy

Morels. Sat, 15 May 1999, Hello again Tom and Vicky, The Southwest WI morel hunting season is officially over for Jason and I. Hunters may still pick some patches of whites and small grays on Northern slopes and in dark shaded areas, but for the most part the morels are done. As I assumed in mid-April, this year was no comparison to last. We harvested a total of 171 pounds this season (301 in 1998). This year, the morels were not as big as last season. The actual numbers picked was good, just no size. I'm certain a few colder days, April 20th to the 23rd and 5 straight days of sunny, 70 to 80 degree weather (April 30 through May 4th) did not suite well for the Morchella. Oh well, we still had a great season and look forward to next year! Brett

Morel sighting. Thu, 13 May 1999, I found 6 huge Morel's this morning. I live in Cushing, WI, which is the NW part of Wisconsin. Liz

Wyoming Morels. Thu, 13 May 1999, I've never heard of the morel mushrooms until I found some on our property. Several people told us what a wonderful discovery it is. We found about 40. Our property is on the river just outside of Glenrock, WY. Lois

Special reports from the NMMHA: National Morel Mushroom Hunter's Association.

Mon, 12 Apr 1999, From: National Morel Mushroom Hunter's Association. Here's the quick list of current sightings from our members only site: Mom and Dad and my brother Rodney and his wife Sandy are beginning to find morels by the bushel baskets full in the southern states and just now in the central states. I'll be out this weekend with my kids in N.E. Kansas. It's a great family tradition that has been in our family for generations.

Report from members that they picked Morels on 3-16-99 in California and on 3-24-99 in Tennessee. LeRoy Paden and his son Rodney Paden picked 8 lbs. in Oklahoma on 3-31-99 and on 4-1-99. Sightings in West Virginia and Missouri on 4-1-99. Members sightings as of 4-1-99: in B.C., Canada, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, MO, Ohio & Oregon. 4/7/99 LeRoy picked 130 small to med. sized mushrooms in Central Kansas. 4/8/99 LeRoy picked 1 &1/2 bushels in Oklahoma. 4/10/99 156 small morels in Kansas. Happy hunting.

Sat, 24 Apr 1999, TOM & VICKY, Just a little info we thought that might interest you. On 4-17 we found a patch of small greys 1" or less. We picked 20 and left 14 that we could see at that time. On 4-24 we returned to the same patch and picked 115 white and yellows from 3" to 6" tall. Lots of rain during the week made them grow faster than normal. Great weather conditions in NE KS., SE NEB. and Western IOWA. GOOD LUCK TO ALL AND DON'T LET THE COOL WEATHER OR LACK OF SUN FOOL YOU. ROD PADEN NMMHA

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