The morel mushroom are growing now or will be soon. They are said to come up when the lilacs are in bloom or when the oak leaves are the size of mouse ears.
If you like mushrooms, the morel is hard to beat, and they are easy to identify, with no poisonous look-alikes.
A true morel looks like a sponge on a stalk. The cap has distinctive ridges and pits, like that of a sponge. Another diagnostic characteristic is that the cap is attached to the stalk at the base. A sponge atop a stalk.
There are some false morels that grow in our region that resemble morels. It is probably best to avoid them. They can also easily be identified as having folds and convolutions on the cap instead of the ridges and pits of morels. It is like comparing a sponge to a brain or walnut. Also, the stalk is attached up inside the cap at the top, with the cap forming a sort of “skirt” hanging down over the stalk.
The ecology of morels is not well known. Occasionally somebody will say they have the habitat for morels figured out. “Look among the oak trees.” Then someone else will say “Look among the aspen.” Morels are not associated with any particular species of tree. My take on these reported habitat affinities of morels is that the person has probably found morels near some species of tree, and drew the conclusion that that is their habitat.
I tell my students that “morels grow where you find them.” That generally elicits a bewildered response. But, I am not aware of any specific habitat requirement for morel mushrooms. They may be found in a variety of habitats. I have found them growing in Medora among the grass and cottonwood on the old packing plant grounds along the Little Missouri River. I have also collected them on the edge of fairways on the old Ponderosa Golf Course near Glyndon, MN. I have collected them in a variety of habitats in the Turtle Mountains. They have even occasionally popped in in our lawn.
In my experiences, and no doubt some of you morel hunters, two factors increase the probability of finding morels. A recently burned area increases the chances of finding morels, in wooded areas as well as grasslands. The other factor is a location where you have found them before.
Oh, I can already taste those morels, sautéed in a little butter!
Bon Appetit!
Chuck Lura
Natural North Dakota is supported by NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center and Dakota College at Bottineau, and by the members of Prairie Public. Thanks to Sunny 101.9 in Bottineau for their recording services.
