More Morel Adventures



Sunday's mushrooms. Not Morels :( But not bad for March 25th

 It has been truly remarkable to see the transition from winter brown to emerald green. In many locations, the forest more closely resembles mid-April rather than late March. And I'm happy to report, some lucky outdoorsmen are finding morels in central Iowa!

Unfortunately for me, I'm not one of 'em. Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong spots or maybe it's the fact that I only spent an hour or two on Sunday morning looking for "little greys" which are the hardest species to spot. Whatever the reason, my 'hotspots' let me down and I got skunked on my search. But signs were everywhere that they'll be firing up soon. Here's my thoughts about Sunday's excursion.

Blue Violets are an excellent sign the soil is close or suitable
for Morel mushrooms to fire up. In my locations the soil was
quite dry which make conditions harsh for morels.

For most areas, it's still a bit too early for widespread Morels. Pockets of forest terrain have suitable conditions right now, but the majority of the woods isn't quite ready yet. There was a very substantial difference in forest undergrowth from the north/east facing slopes to the south and west facing slopes... South slopes had thicker grasses, healthier ferns, and forest flowers meanwhile the north slopes are perhaps a week or two weeks behind.

Some of the most reliable indicators I've ever had for searching for Morels are subtle clues from the woods. I look for blue and yellow Violets, Dandelions and Creeping Charlies. I also look for knee high ferns and moss as good signs the forest is ready to produce Morels.

Rocky soils, steep cut banks near creeks and small pockets facing south or west will be the best bets this week. Our next best chance of rain is late in the week, which might make the upcoming weekend a great time to get out. I'm going to try to search again on Wednesday.

This year's conditions are circled. Most areas could use some
more rain to make the Mushroom hunting better.

I hate to say it, but conditions are a bit off again this year. If we can't get substantial moisture without cooling way down, we could be facing the 3rd bad year in a row for Morels.