Favorite spots for collecting morels are a closely guarded secret, and wars have even broken out among commercial collectors in the Pacific Northwest! Collectors are so passionate that festivals are held in northern Michigan with prizes awarded for the largest morel, the most morels, the best recipe, etc. The Boyne City Morel Festival, in the third week in May, is the biggest in Michigan. In 1994, 17,000 collectors attended the festival.
Morels are the fruiting body of a fungus that lives in the soil. When the soil
temperature and moisture conditions are right the fungus produces morels,
containing the spores of the fungus. The wind carries the spores to new
habitats, where they germinate and produce a new individual of the morel
fungus. The pitted, spongy cap on the white stem in the picture contains the
spores. Some caps are black, gray or even white depending on the species of
morel fungus.True morels are the fruiting body of a species of fungus in the genus Morchella, in the family Morchellaceae. Other genera in the Morchellaceae, and the genus Gyromitra, in the family Helvellaceae, have species that are called “morels." All morels are related to cup fungi (ascomycetes). The ascus, a special cell containing the spores, is the common feature of all ascomycetes.
Every identified organism in the world has one scientific name, in Latin, but may have many common names. Morchella esculenta is known as the Common Morel, but it is just as difficult or easy to find as any other species, and delicious. Another common name for this morel is the Sponge Mushroom. Gyromitra esculenta is commonly known as the Beefsteak Morel but is poisonous to many people. It is also known as the Brain Mushroom. Some books on fungi use only their scientific names, to avoid the confusion of having several names for one species, or the same name for two different species.
Fungi contain many chemical compounds. The fungi on sale at the supermarket are species that are not only non-poisonous, but cause no irritating or allergic reaction for most people. The reaction from eating wild mushrooms is less predictable. Be informed and use the following precautions if you decide to go morel hunting:
In Michigan
morels start to appear in late April and can be found until mid- June, but
local conditions can alter this timing. Sunny spots on south-facing banks will
produce morels sooner. Morels will appear as early as late February in the
southern U.S. The higher the elevation, or the further north you travel, the
later the crop.