When I think of the morel season in southwest Wisconsin I divide the season into three sequent phases based off the size of the morel. To further clarify there is no definite “line drawn in the sand” that equally separates one phase from the next. However, often times rain events trigger and progress the season right up to the very end. These little fungus do not assemble in the morel town hall underground and agree upon a date/time to germinate. Local weather events and trends trigger germination and stimulate morel growth playing a major role the entire season from beginning to end. All in all, there will be a time span of 4 to 5 consecutive weeks in which there are morels above ground in southwest Wisconsin. You can typically count on a 3 week harvesting season embedded in that magical 4 to 5 week period all though this is not a given either. This time span will land somewhere in the months of April & May. The earliest I have ever found a morel mushroom above ground was on the 4th of April. It was slightly larger than the letter “I” in Times New Roman font set on the #12 scale. The latest I have ever harvested a still edible morel mushroom was on the 1st of June. These dates land in the span of time from 1986 to ? while hunting morels and keeping a journal.
The largest percentage of edible morels in the last phase of the season is found in deep wooded areas with heavy weed mat and decaying leaves from the previous growing season as well as grades of land that face due north. Low ditch lines on a north grade are definite points of interest when I’m in the woods late season. These areas are more protected from sunshine and are the last areas where average 4” soil temperature reaches that magical 52 degree mark to trigger morel germination. If you would have hunted these areas 2 weeks prior when a large percentage of morels on southern facing slopes were reaching maturity, you would have been lucky to find a morel above ground larger than the letter “I” in Times New Roman font set on the #12 scale. We’ve all heard the phrase “timing is everything”. Couldn’t be more true hunting morels.
Once the morel is above ground the countdown to death begins. Think of a morel just like you and me. We are not all the same size and we do not all grow at identical rates. Our appearance changes as we mature and age. These points are all true with morel mushrooms too. While we as individuals may span the course of time on earth measured in units of years, a morel’s life span can be measured in days. A morel in its infancy stages of growth will of course be small. The pores of the cap will be closed and have thick ridges. As the morel matures it will change appearance. Most will increase in both height and girth. The pores of the cap will open. The ridge layers will thin. The color of the cap may also change. Those “little” gray mushrooms which are the first to come every year are immature young morels. Depending upon phenotypic variation (equivalent to human genes), available nutrients, and local weather conditions, most of these little gray guys will blossom into much larger and blonder colored morels as they reach maturity and spore.
So what actually “kills” a morel? Drawing upon the human comparison from earlier in this excerpt, there are several ways a morel’s life will come to an end. A variety of insects & mammals will eat morels if they find them and needless to say you and I as avid morel hunters are quick to warrant a death sentence. For those lucky and elusive enough to go undetected above ground ~ mold may begin to break them down. The mold typically starts as a discoloration on the stem and spreads to the cap deteriorating the fruiting body as it spreads. When a morel is in the process of being broken down by mold, additional moisture in the form of precipitation or morning dew accelerates the process. Contrary to popular believe amongst the not-so educated morel enthusiasts the sun is an enemy of the morel once above ground so as long as we don’t experience long periods of freezing air temperatures. The only positive aspect the sun and corresponding heat has on the morel season is to warm the average 4” soil temperature to 52 degrees to spur germination. Often times I’ll hear or read a fellow morel enthusiasts state we need warmer nights or it’s too cold at night. In part this is correct. Germination will not occur if the average soil temperature does not sustain the 52 degree mark for extended periods of time. Cooler nights in the infancy stages of a morel season allow the soil temperature to drop below that mark. But once germination occurs the sun is an enemy. Over 90% of a morel’s fruiting body is water. Sunshine equates to heat which draws the moisture out of the fruiting body and begins the natural drying process after the morel has reached maturity. Morels experiencing death to natural drying will begin to shrivel & discolor. The stems become rubber like. If you should happen to find morels in the later stages of natural drying process and pick them, you can easily tell the apparent weight change. This drying process can be slow if the morel is semi protected from the elements or can occur very rapidly if the morel is exposed. Every wonder why morels in open areas subject to direct sunlight are some of the first morels to come and go? Now you know. If a morel is in an advanced stage of the natural drying process and happens to get wet, within literally hours it will fall to the forest floor and turn into a pile of discolored mush accompanied with an unpleasant odor. If in an infancy stage of the natural drying process and the morel happens to get wet it will try to reconstitute. But the stem will turn very brittle and pores will seemingly turn inside out as the ridges of the cap collapse in on themselves.
In conclusion if morels do not fall victim of prey to insects, animals, or hunters like you & I and if mold does not set in, localized environmental conditions in the form heat & moisture will surely spell the end. These wonderful little spring time treats are time sensitive.
Thank you for taking the time and sharing your morel wisdom with us! 