# Report 2019 SE Michigan Morel Finds Here.



## Lost_Literati (May 2, 2018)

It's going to be a great year!

Please post your finds and experiences in SE Michigan this season here, so we can all benefit and be entertained by the journeys of others. 

Good luck!


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## Lost_Literati (May 2, 2018)

Snow? Snow? Hopefully it's the last snow of the year and the ground will start warming up.


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## Lost_Literati (May 2, 2018)

We still have at least 20 degrees to go before the soil temps are in the 50s here.


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## Xander (Mar 28, 2019)

Lost_Literati said:


> We still have at least 20 degrees to go before the soil temps are in the 50s here.
> 
> View attachment 13548


Warm up!!!!


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## Lost_Literati (May 2, 2018)

Xander said:


> Warm up!!!!


It's starting too, but still a ways from 50 degree soil temps.


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## Lost_Literati (May 2, 2018)

What's with all these Chinese threads on the forum?

I went to delete them and ban the ip, then remembered I'm not admin here, lol.

Any sightings in SE Michigan yet?


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## celticcurl (Apr 22, 2014)

LL

The spam on this forum is terrible. If you aren't already on it head over to Michigan mushrooms https://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/forums/michiganmushrooms-com.114/
Or http://www.michiganmorels.com/funtalk/index.php


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

I’m calling my shot. I drove by my early spot today and I am predicting I will be picking(or at least seeing) some by next weekend. Had to talk myself out of walking in too early. Starting to get antsy. If the rain and temps forecast do what they say I think I’ll be in luck. Good luck all!! The anticipation is almost the best part...but not quite


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## Kbart (May 13, 2018)

anyone seeing any ramps/leaks in Michigan yet?


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## Xander (Mar 28, 2019)

Kbart said:


> anyone seeing any ramps/leaks in Michigan yet?


still at least a week out


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## morelboy12 (Apr 23, 2019)

Kbart said:


> anyone seeing any ramps/leaks in Michigan yet?


Yup! Found a bunch of them this sunday near lansing


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

Well my prediction was a few days off but I managed to scope out 5 babies this afternoon. Hopefully they’ll be there when I come back. SE Mich.


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## Lost_Literati (May 2, 2018)

jms0001 said:


> Well my prediction was a few days off but I managed to scope out 5 babies this afternoon. Hopefully they’ll be there when I come back. SE Mich.
> View attachment 16568


Nice to see! Give me hope for this sunday, thanks!​


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## Kbart (May 13, 2018)

jms0001 said:


> Well my prediction was a few days off but I managed to scope out 5 babies this afternoon. Hopefully they’ll be there when I come back. SE Mich.
> View attachment 16568


NICE! what county?


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

Kbart said:


> NICE! what county?


Washtenaw


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

Lost_Literati said:


> Nice to see! Give me hope for this sunday, thanks!​


Any luck on Sunday or since? I checked 2 other spots today and found some more babies on sunny sides. Still a little ways off. Warmer temps just don't quite want to get here


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

Checked a spot in Wayne county yesterday (south-facing hill) and saw nothing.


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

Decided to pick a few finally. Been sitting on these things for about a week. Heading up to go trout fishing today, had to take some with me. Washtenaw co. Also checked a couple of other spots and they are just getting started too


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## Kbart (May 13, 2018)

jms0001 said:


> Decided to pick a few finally. Been sitting on these things for about a week. Heading up to go trout fishing today, had to take some with me. Washtenaw co. Also checked a couple of other spots and they are just getting started too
> View attachment 18186


NICE!!! What type of area? south facing slopes? tree type?


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## Xander (Mar 28, 2019)

Found one size of a jelly bean under big elm. Saint Clair county on the map!


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

I found these lil blacks today in Oakland County. There were about 20 or so total....


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

Kbart said:


> NICE!!! What type of area? south facing slopes? tree type?


It was in an area that hits early every year. The pickers were on a south facing slope under elm trees


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

bung23 said:


> View attachment 18340
> View attachment 18342
> View attachment 18344
> View attachment 18346
> I found these lil blacks today in Oakland County. There were about 20 or so total....


Great find! You get those blacks under tulip poplars?


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

jms0001 said:


> Great find! You get those blacks under tulip poplars?


Yes. Large, adult trees.


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

Heading up today from KY to fish Lake St. Clair for a couple of days. Our season is over and it appears yours is just coming in. I’ve hunted popples in N MI for blacks before. What trees/terrain do I look for in S MI? I like how your leaf litter is usually flat due to the snow cover. Makes the blacks much easier to see compared to KY’s fluffy leaf litter.


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

rick said:


> Heading up today from KY to fish Lake St. Clair for a couple of days. Our season is over and it appears yours is just coming in. I’ve hunted popples is N MI for blacks before. What trees/terrain do I look for in S MI? I like how your leaf litter is usually flat due to the snow cover. Makes the blacks much easier to see compared to KY’s fluffy leaf litter.


Tulip poplars in south Michigan generally produce the blacks. Dead elms and apple trees produce the grays and blondes. Depending on where you’re going they’re all just getting going


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

jms0001 said:


> Tulip poplars in south Michigan generally produce the blacks. Dead elms and apple trees produce the grays and blondes. Depending on where you’re going they’re all just getting going


Near Roseville. Same in KY, I find most of my blacks in poplar and pignut hickory areas, usually with a mix of both. Thanks!


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## Xander (Mar 28, 2019)

Found a nice patch of grays / some yellows bleached from sun in grassy area by some elms! About 2 dozen!! Oakland county is poppin


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

Found a couple dozen blacks today in Oakland County


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

Found this and a handful of other blondes today in Oakland County


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## R J (Apr 23, 2019)

Got out this morning and found a couple dozen blondes and grays in Wayne county...are there any indicators to know when it's time to pick them? Size? Shape? Happy hunting! Also is this other photo a beefsteak mushroom?


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## cwlake (Feb 6, 2015)

bung23 said:


> Yes. Large, adult trees.


those leaves in your pic look like aspen? The tree in the background looks the same. Am I wrong? Still trying o figure out the black ones.


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## Stelthshroomer (Mar 12, 2018)

R J said:


> View attachment 19516
> View attachment 19518
> Got out this morning and found a couple dozen blondes and grays in Wayne county...are there any indicators to know when it's time to pick them? Size? Shape? Happy hunting! Also is this other photo a beefsteak mushroom?


False morel some eat but not suposed to


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## shroomsearcher (Apr 7, 2018)

What he said! ^^^^^ Don't do it!


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

Gotta love those new spots!! With all the rain we’ve been getting they were just showing up all over. Love when that happens, this area is just starting too. Going back in a couple days after the warm up tomorrow, hopefully no one beats me there


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

cwlake said:


> those leaves in your pic look like aspen? The tree in the background looks the same. Am I wrong? Still trying o figure out the black ones.


Ya know what, maybe I’m wrong.... the bark goes from rough at the bottom few feet or so and transition to all smooth bark. Just looked it up and you are correct. It’s a Bigtooth Aspen grove.
I searched all over those trees in 2 very large areas and only found that couple dozen in one little section of one of the areas. Very odd. I really dislike hunting blacks because it’s so difficult in Oakland County.
I kill it with grays and blondes.....


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

Well, I went back to that Aspen grove today and found about a dozen more blacks. I’ve found two very distinctly different types of blacks but I’m not sure if there are more than one species.... I’ll post pics in a few....
There were tons of people in the woods this evening.....
How’s everyone doing so far?


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)




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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

The caps are not only shaped differently but the thickness is starkly different. The morel in the top pic has a very thin cap and stem while the one in the bottom pic has a thick, deeply pitted cap- more like a grey or blonde. Odd....


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## rick (Mar 16, 2014)

bung23 said:


> The caps are not only shaped differently but the thickness is starkly different. The morel in the top pic has a very thin cap and stem while the one in the bottom pic has a thick, deeply pitted cap- more like a grey or blonde. Odd....


I believe the one in the top pic is just more mature than the one in the bottom pic. They get that black edge on the ridges of the shroom as it matures and the honeycomb opens up more also.


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## mmh (Apr 21, 2013)

cwlake said:


> those leaves in your pic look like aspen? The tree in the background looks the same. Am I wrong? Still trying o figure out the black ones.


The leaves and the


rick said:


> Near Roseville. Same in KY, I find most of my blacks in poplar and pignut hickory areas, usually with a mix of both. Thanks!


 


bung23 said:


> The caps are not only shaped differently but the thickness is starkly different. The morel in the top pic has a very thin cap and stem while the one in the bottom pic has a thick, deeply pitted cap- more like a grey or blonde. Odd....


I believe there are different types of Blacks. In your top picture did the stem attach slightly up into the cap as opposed to the bottom of the cap? If so I refer to those as "half frees"
Pic number two I refer to that as a regular Black depending on where someone lives and hunts.
I also find a different black when I hunt in Northern Michigan which I call 'Velvets"
they are smaller with an almost perfectly conical cap, a stem that is smaller than a pencil and to my eye actually have a Velvet look.
All opinions expressed here are from someone that has hunted for many years but still has more questions than answers when it comes to Morels. They do not give a damn what I think. Shroom on my friends


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## mmh (Apr 21, 2013)

bung23 said:


> Ya know what, maybe I’m wrong.... the bark goes from rough at the bottom few feet or so and transition to all smooth bark. Just looked it up and you are correct. It’s a Bigtooth Aspen grove.
> I searched all over those trees in 2 very large areas and only found that couple dozen in one little section of one of the areas. Very odd. I really dislike hunting blacks because it’s so difficult in Oakland County.
> I kill it with grays and blondes.....


Aspen will start off with smooth bark and as they age will start a very rough furrowed bark low. Ash are the same way. I have looked for the younger Ash in areas that others hunt hoping that they will not identify the younger tree. In general I have found that the smaller ones do not produce as well but once did find 20 under an Ash that was smaller than my thigh.


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

mmh said:


> The leaves and the
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I am quite familiar with the half-free morel.... I actually found a few of them yesterday as well. I hunt an area that literally produces thousands of half-frees every year so I’m 100% positive that the morel I’m referring to is not a half free. The thin, pointy-cap black morel couldn’t be very mature since the season just started. Those morels weren’t a week old. Like all of you I’m sure, I’ve been hunting and researching morels for a long time and I’ve never heard of different species of blacks like you do with blondes. Just found it odd that two very distinctly different black morels were found in the same spot.


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

New spot is working out well. So far picked over 100 this morning. Love being able to get out before the weekend warriors


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)




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## shroomsearcher (Apr 7, 2018)

bung23 said:


> I am quite familiar with the half-free morel.... I actually found a few of them yesterday as well. I hunt an area that literally produces thousands of half-frees every year so I’m 100% positive that the morel I’m referring to is not a half free. The thin, pointy-cap black morel couldn’t be very mature since the season just started. Those morels weren’t a week old. Like all of you I’m sure, I’ve been hunting and researching morels for a long time and I’ve never heard of different species of blacks like you do with blondes. Just found it odd that two very distinctly different black morels were found in the same spot.


I agree, bung! No way that's a half free. Even Kuo's book, _Morels, _states that the cap of a black morel can have kind of a rolled, undercut edge to it coming off the stem, but nowhere near as pronounced as that of a half free. There's a very precise pic of it in the book. 

Admittedly some of Kuo's book has been rendered obsolete by recent DNA studies, which Kuo played a large part in, but I don't think it invalidates everything he wrote. Who really knows how many species of morel are really out there? With all the new info, and more coming every day, I don't know that the most knowledgeable mycologist in the world could come up with a definitive answer. 

Who knows? Maybe the more "rounded" blacks will become greys once they get some sun on them.


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

I started hunting morels in ‘02. I primarily hunt Oakland County. I can’t believe how popular morel hunting has become. I remember back then I could go to any quality place I saw and find them. It was rare if I found someone’s stems. Now, you practically have to pick baby morels because if you leave them to get bigger, someone else will pick them. When I left the woods yesterday, there were at least a half dozen cars on the side of the road in a one mile stretch. Gotta get there quick....


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## mmh (Apr 21, 2013)

jms0001 said:


> View attachment 19802


That is what Morel hunters dream of.


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## R J (Apr 23, 2019)

Does anyone know why this morel has a reddish stem?


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

R J said:


> View attachment 19932
> Does anyone know why this morel has a reddish stem?


I see that all the time. I see that most frequently when the area I’m hunting is damp, like around lowlands or swamps. I’m not sure what the scientific reason is tho......


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

View attachment 19956


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## SavantNcrc3 (May 11, 2019)

New to, uh, "hunting" morels, I tripped over four a couple steps outside my backdoor in far SE Washtenaw county. One of them is clearly a keeper, but the others I cannot find any online reference for. Their caps are attached all the way around, their interior is hollow, but they have multiple layers as if a cluster all merged into one. Any thoughts or opinions from more knowledgeable people would be appreciated!


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## shroomsearcher (Apr 7, 2018)

SavantNcrc3 said:


> New to, uh, "hunting" morels, I tripped over four a couple steps outside my backdoor in far SE Washtenaw county. One of them is clearly a keeper, but the others I cannot find any online reference for. Their caps are attached all the way around, their interior is hollow, but they have multiple layers as if a cluster all merged into one. Any thoughts or opinions from more knowledgeable people would be appreciated!


Wow! Those are crazy looking. When I first read your text, I thought you might be referring to Gyromitra. But that's not what those are. Those look like true morels that just sprouted too close to each other, and grew "into" each other. I remember when I first started hunting chickens and hens, hens in particular. One thing I read said to check really close when cleaning hens, since fungi will just grow around anything that's in their way. You can wind up with debris trapped inside the shroom itself.


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## clutch2412 (Apr 22, 2015)

R J said:


> View attachment 19932
> Does anyone know why this morel has a reddish stem?


Usually get "rusty" when they are a bit older. Been in the elements a little too long. White to off white are fresher. 


R J said:


> View attachment 19932
> Does anyone know why this morel has a reddish stem?


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## rtv (May 7, 2018)

northville MI.....southfield MI tons of half free


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## rtv (May 7, 2018)

here are the half frees


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

SavantNcrc3 said:


> New to, uh, "hunting" morels, I tripped over four a couple steps outside my backdoor in far SE Washtenaw county. One of them is clearly a keeper, but the others I cannot find any online reference for. Their caps are attached all the way around, their interior is hollow, but they have multiple layers as if a cluster all merged into one. Any thoughts or opinions from more knowledgeable people would be appreciated!


Definitely blacks, just a cluster growing together in my opinion. Nice back yard find!!


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

SavantNcrc3 said:


> New to, uh, "hunting" morels, I tripped over four a couple steps outside my backdoor in far SE Washtenaw county. One of them is clearly a keeper, but the others I cannot find any online reference for. Their caps are attached all the way around, their interior is hollow, but they have multiple layers as if a cluster all merged into one. Any thoughts or opinions from more knowledgeable people would be appreciated!


Just like what shroomsearcher said, at first glance, they looked like false morels (gyromitra, or beefsteak) but after looking closer, they are indeed true morels. I’ve found some that looked like that- they grew under a log which kinda smashed them as they grew.


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## James Bona (May 13, 2019)

First time I have ever picked morels, but they were growing in my side yard in Rochester Hills, Oakland county. Had to verify online that they were the real deal. Grass had yet to be cut in an area under Poplar trees and a where a tree stump was ground up a few years ago. Picked about 18 nice size and filled about a 3 quart bucket.




  








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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

James Bona said:


> First time I have ever picked morels, but they were growing in my side yard in Rochester Hills, Oakland county. Had to verify online that they were the real deal. Grass had yet to be cut in an area under Poplar trees and a where a tree stump was ground up a few years ago. Picked about 18 nice size and filled about a 3 quart bucket.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Won’t let me open those pics...!


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## Kbart (May 13, 2018)

James Bona said:


> First time I have ever picked morels, but they were growing in my side yard in Rochester Hills, Oakland county. Had to verify online that they were the real deal. Grass had yet to be cut in an area under Poplar trees and a where a tree stump was ground up a few years ago. Picked about 18 nice size and filled about a 3 quart bucket.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


oh snap! Those are nice


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## SavantNcrc3 (May 11, 2019)

Thanks for the insight, bung23, jms0001, and shroomsearcher! They grew on a recent construction site (settled after one year), 4-5 yards away from a flooding ditch, the nearest tree was a similar distance away, and the the fused ones were directly under dock weed.


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## Maddchad (May 6, 2019)

I will post pictures eventually, I have been finding black morels i pockets for about a week and a half now in north western oakland county. Yesterday I thought I had hit the mother load but unfortunately it was a lot of the false morels with just the top of the stem attached in the center of the cap...


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

Maddchad said:


> I will post pictures eventually, I have been finding black morels i pockets for about a week and a half now in north western oakland county. Yesterday I thought I had hit the mother load but unfortunately it was a lot of the false morels with just the top of the stem attached in the center of the cap...


Those are most likely half-free morels and they are delicious TRUE morels. Post pics to confirm.....


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## Maddchad (May 6, 2019)

bung23 said:


> Those are most likely half-free morels and they are delicious TRUE morels. Post pics to confirm.....


Top are a couple of good ones. The bottom are the false ones... The cap is only attached at the very top of the steps...

I have heard of people eating them but never tried them myself.


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## Kbart (May 13, 2018)

Maddchad said:


> View attachment 20440
> View attachment 20442
> 
> 
> ...


Cut yours in half length wise. If the inside of the stalk is wispy fibers and the cap is attached at the very top, like the ones in the following picture, then it is bad.


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## Maddchad (May 6, 2019)

View attachment 20440
View attachment 20442


bung23 said:


> Those are most likely half-free morels and they are delicious TRUE morels. Post pics to confirm.....


Top are a couple of good ones. The bottom are the false ones... The cap is only attached at the very top of the steps...

I have heard of people eating them but never tried them myself.


Maddchad said:


> View attachment 20440
> View attachment 20442
> 
> 
> ...


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## Maddchad (May 6, 2019)

Went back today and found all these, caps do appear to be half attached... Also stem is hello...could someone please confirm these are half free morels... And any eating suggestions as well


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## Maddchad (May 6, 2019)




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## shroomsearcher (Apr 7, 2018)

Yes! Those are true half-free morels, _Morchella semilibera, _and you have a feast there! The fact they are completely hollow is a dead giveaway, but if you look closely at the caps of yours and compare them to the pics of _Verpa bomemica _posted by Kbart, you'll see that they don't really look alike. The _V. bohemica _have caps that are wrinkled like a brain, while the half frees have the classic ridged and pitted caps of true morels. There's a second species of verpa, _V. conica _that has a smooth cap, but all verpas have the fuzz in the stems. I find lots of those around here but very few half frees. I'm kind of jealous.


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

Maddchad said:


> View attachment 20440
> View attachment 20442
> 
> 
> ...


The bottom pic is indeed a TRUE morel. They’re called half-free morels due to the fact that the cap is attached to the stem halfway up the cap. Kinda like an umbrella. There are false morels that resemble half-free’s but the stem of the false half-free is filled with a white, cottony substance while stem of the true half free is completely hollow with nothing inside.


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## Shoepolice (Apr 16, 2017)

Older verpa mushrooms might not have the cotton. Look for the cap connection location.


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## jms0001 (Apr 7, 2016)

Got to stay ahead of the weekend warriors again my season is coming to an end unfortunately until I go north. All of my spots down here are pretty well picked out. Good luck all!!


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## mmh (Apr 21, 2013)

Shoepolice said:


> Older verpa mushrooms might not have the cotton. Look for the cap connection location.


I did not know that about verpas, Thank you


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)




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## Kbart (May 13, 2018)

bung23 said:


> View attachment 20942
> View attachment 20944


What a jerk! LOL Nice find!!!!!


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## bung23 (Oct 18, 2012)

Kbart said:


> What a jerk! LOL Nice find!!!!!


I found that spot last year and there were even more then! I took a bunch of pics and posted them on here in last years thread.... May 19, I think....


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## mmh (Apr 21, 2013)

I


bung23 said:


> View attachment 20942
> View attachment 20944





bung23 said:


> View attachment 20942
> View attachment 20944


great Pics of a great find.


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## billb3 (Apr 10, 2017)

Tough start this year, many a cut in "secret" paces:/. However, the rain and temp combination is generating rather large Morels this year.


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