Forecasting Morels

Morels are one of the most highly sought after mushrooms and remain one of the highlights and mysteries of a Midwestern spring. There is a lot of lore surrounding these delicious morsels. In fact, over the last two weeks I have done some research, spoken with plant pathologists and sifted through message boards and blogs to find the "facts." Truth be told, I found a lot more opinions, conventional wisdom and hand-me-down knowledge loosely based in science than I did research. So that leaves things pretty much as they were, with the door wide open to interpretation and experience. I've been hunting morels longer than I've been hunting in general, and I continue to be fascinated by the environments in which I find them. One thing's for sure, the season of sighting and picking a bag of these little delights is almost upon us, so let's talk about what we know.

Morels are a fungi: Unlike plants, they do not need sunlight to grow. However, they do need highly specific soil temperatures to grow. The majority of the organism is underneath the ground, so when you find a patch it is quite literally the tip of the iceberg. This is also why you can return days/years later and find more in the same spot. Morels thrive in environments with decaying wood/plant matter. Bases of Elm and Oak are my favorites, but fields of these mushrooms have sprouted in the ashes of a pine tree forest fire. As a fungus, they require certain soil moisture, so high relative humidity and recent rains are key.

Right now, morels are being harvested in central Missouri. Reports are all over the internet from Independance to Columbia. I did some research and the current 6" soil temperatures are in the 60 to 62 degree range near where these mushrooms are being found. A quick check of central Iowa's 4" soil temp reveals it's around 54 degrees with soil moisture falling in the 30% to 36% range. In fact, central and southern Iowa has on average seen less than 1" in the last 10 days... those conditions are too tough for any widespread morel activity. Odds are, you'll have to search those microclimates (small pockets of south facing hills with downed trees and moisture like near a creek) if you want to find some in the next week. We need more rain and we need more heat. Steady, but cold rain is in the near-term, but the warmth will hold off until next week. My current forecast is for little grays to really get going next week mid to late week. Good luck, and let me know if you find any!