This map is a user-generated database of where morels have been found, often with photographic proof. This sort of information can be especially helpful when looking at a new area that is far from home. Therefore, I don’t gear up for mushrooming until the oak pollen has come out in my area, or at least close. Anyone with knowledge of such things knows that the leaves often come after the tree blooms. As I mentioned earlier, I know the morels in my area aren’t sprouting until after the oak leaves in my back yard start to emerge. This map allows you to pan around and check where certain kinds of trees are blooming. First come juniper, poplar, elm, then maple and alder. This map will help you track the major groups of trees blooming from south to north as spring progresses. In the weeks leading up to the morel season, we’re really thinking in ballpark terms- weeks versus days. Most of these are interactive maps and user-friendly. Using these tools will either kick you into gear, or put your mind at ease (right now in Minnesota, we’re still clearly weeks away from the main morel season). From the comfort of your desk at work or couch at home, you can get your finger on the pulse of spring. Again, this is to benefit you in future seasons, but you will find it is invaluable information.įor now, here are some online resources that will be useful in forecasting the morel season. Timing the morels away from home will probably be a little trickier if you use the clues near home- morels up north will be weeks off from morels down south, etc., but it can still help. We often hear about lilac buds, oak leaves, etc., but do you know how to interpret the signs? For instance, I know that when the apple trees in my front yard are in full bloom and the leaves of the red oak trees in my back yard are just emerging, I need to get to my main morel spot. That is, if you hunt for morels near home, watch in your neighborhood for nature’s signs that will help you in the timing of subsequent morel seasons. One thing that can help in future years is to pay attention to the phenological clues around you. And we certainly don’t want to miss out on anything. But in the interest of efficiency, we want to get the timing right. Any trips to the woods result in no more than a light workout, which is not necessarily a bad thing aside from the deer ticks. Believe me, I have been one of those people in past years. There are always some overeager individuals who are looking for any little sign that the mushrooms are about to pop, but are, in reality, weeks ahead of themselves.

It seems like mysterious, closely-guarded chaos. Rumors of a “morel map” are flying around and folks are going on about soil temperatures. That time of year has come: the morel season is approaching.

Morel mushroom hunting s dakota