The Mysterious Morel

Well, I went out for a nice hike in central Iowa on the first full day of Spring. It looked much more like the first day of Turkey season than March 21st. I even caught a hen turkey sitting on a nest while I stalked through the woods looking for sheds and the mysterious Morel.

The grass was surprisingly green as I left the truck and began my walk. Humidity was high, and just enough sunshine was getting through the clouds that I had to shed my jacket.

Robins, Cardinals and many other birds were enjoying the worm buffet from our recent rains. As I slogged through the mud, I was getting more and more excited to find the first tasty White Morels (Little Greys) of the season.

I was happy to see ferns coming up! Lichens and moss were also out in full force, and I found several spots where various cup fungi were feasting on dead bark from Elm trees. I have always seen these fungi when I find morels. But more often than not those cup fungi are a bit drier and not quite as fresh, something I never noticed until this year. A small thought popped into my head, "I probably wouldn't find any morels today."

So I sat down on a log and drank some ice water while I put the pieces together. Grass was greenest in open fields on ridge tops and south slopes and not very green under the trees. Open south slopes were also the only place I found Dandelions and they were the only flower on the forest floor.

Vegitation under the trees is still immature/emergant and I suspect the soil temp in the forest is substantially cooler than the open-field soil readings we can look up online. Normally when I find Morels, there are little blue flowers, Dandelions and taller ferns nearby. I didn't see any of that on my hike. I'm also concerned the rain isn't soaking in deep enough since we've only seen between .25" and .75" despite several days of rain.
I still expect very small pockets of cover to have Morels right now. More wide-spread Morels should pop in a few days to a week from now. I think the ground is still too cool and the warmth/moisture needs to sink in just a bit deeper. They're already being reported in Kansas City and northwestern Missori which is about a week ahead of us climate-wise. So bring on the sunshine, and let the outdoorsman's easter egg hunt begin!

Based on the forecast I think we are in great shape. Conditions will still be tough since the usual suspects like the White Morels usually fire first and they're small and hide really well under leaves. If you're not having much luck in your usual spots try focusing in on Micro-Climates. These are "pockets" of cover that heat up more than surrounding areas. I like south facing slopes and for whatever reason I often find my first Morels painfully close to the center of Multi-flora Rose bushes. I think these locations seem to "hold" the heat overnight when moisture is higher.

I love seeing the transformation from Winter as Iowa blossoms into Spring and I plan on going back out on Friday or Saturday. I hope you get out and enjoy it, and I'll keep you posted on what I find!

-Chris