The Western Montana Mycological Association is sponsoring research into morel growth and development (morphogenesis), with the supervision of Nancy Weber, one of the foremost morel researchers in the nation.
Small areas will be assigned where
volunteers will monitor and photograph the development of morels and record
temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors. You do not need to be
a scientist to participate.
Volunteers will select a site where morels are expected to fruit, usually near their home or campsite, where it can be monitored on a daily or near-daily basis. Signs will be posted to alert others to the existence of these research sites and requesting them to refrain from walking or picking in these areas. The research sites will be small enough, a few hundred square feet, that it will not affect anyone's mushroom picking.
ANSWERS TO PHOTO QUESTIONS
PHOTO 1: If you can't find at least 5 morels, counting the big one at the back, maybe you should take a friend along when you go morel hunting...
PHOTO
2 : There are 3 false morels in the photo. Notice the longer, cylindrical stem
on the false morels and the way the cap "folds over" the stem rather than attaching
to it. For more about telling true and false morels apart, see the Montana
Mushroom Photoguide on this site. >>
There are several species of fungi that fruit in the same circumstances that morels do. Since these species are often found near morels. we call them indicator species.
Here are five species of fungi that may indicate the presence of morels nearby.
GEOPYXIS VULCANUS the fire-following fairy cup, is a small, cinnamon brown cup about the size of your fingernail. You often find clumps of a dozen or more together. Nobody eats it.
PHOLIOTA CARBONICOLA the charcol-loving Pholiota, is common in burned areas. Since if grows on burned wood, it may be present for a few years after a fire. Not eaten by people.
PEZIZA_VIOLACEA is a medium sized cup fungus with a purple tint. It often grows in burned areas, especially moist sites.
DISCINA SPECIES are brittle, oval, and often wrinkled. We have some 40 varieties known in the USA, and identification is best left to experts. Some are edible, but should be prepared like false morels if you plan to eat them. They usually come up with the first morels.
Ptychoverpa_bohemica looks so much like a yellow morel that it is called the early false morel. Note the cylindrical stem, which is stuffed with cottony mycelia, and the wrinkled cap that does not join the stem but hangs down over it. This fungus grows in the same riparian habitat as yellow morels, and can be confused with them.
What does sclerotia look like and how do morels form??
Ethical Harvesting information.
For information on preserving morels, see our RECIPES section.
Here's info about more about morels and their relationship with fire ecology.
Back to the FJ Front Page.
©The Western Montana Mycological Association