# Newbie question



## EHW (Apr 14, 2020)

Hi all, I am brand new to this site as of this morning, and I am a total newbie to mushrooms, but have eaten my first chicken of the woods, and shrimp of the woods last year -- and I am still alive  I enjoyed looking at this site and decided to join. I have a question.....

I was mowing the lawn and found this.....see pictures.














This was three feet from my driveway in Carroll County, MD. A friend thought this was a morel, but I have not found pictures on the internet that are completely convincing. These are hollow when cut in half. They are white and black. Not the yellowish ones that seem to dominate the internet. Any experts out there have any comments? A friend told me to "take my shoes off because I was walking on Hallowed Ground." This is about 1.5 inches, and there were 5 or 6 next to each other. They seemed much smaller than the other pictures I have been looking at on the internet.

Thanks, 
EHW


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## redfred (Apr 15, 2016)

EHW said:


> Hi all, I am brand new to this site as of this morning, and I am a total newbie to mushrooms, but have eaten my first chicken of the woods, and shrimp of the woods last year -- and I am still alive  I enjoyed looking at this site and decided to join. I have a question.....
> 
> I was mowing the lawn and found this.....see pictures.
> View attachment 28344
> ...


Sure looks like a morel to me... Morels can come in many colors. That is a young one and if you let it go awhile you will see some color change and size. It would be unusual for them to be growing in the grass but not unheard of. What tree or trees are near by even one they may have been removed? As long as you don’t have a lot of chemicals in your lawn you could always try one.. If you like the chicken or shrimp you may love these. Best of luck


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## EHW (Apr 14, 2020)

I was wondering if is was a bit young because it was small, and it did not have quite the same "open honey comb" appearance as most of the ones I see posted. Also the color looks different, more white and black, not gray or yellow. I will research the trees next to it. When we built our home 5 years ago they cut some down in this area for the driveway. There are two old rotting stumps within 20 feet of where I found them so I don't know what those were. There are also two large trees I assumed were oaks, but I will research it a bit more.... As I said I am very new to this. I know for certain they are not tulip poplars... I have lots of those in the woods, down by a stream behind our house. Thanks so much for responding!

Based on the what is currently on the branches the trees next to the mushroom look like maple trees  .... they have red helicopters all over the branches (though they are pretty high up).


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## redfred (Apr 15, 2016)

@EHW , I’m pretty sure that’s a gray morel. You may want to wait and see what they will do. Even cover them up with a jar or bucket. I’m in Carroll Co. too and we may see snow over night. In a couple of days you should see a difference in them and check the woods behind the house you may find more.... Best of luck....


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## EHW (Apr 14, 2020)

redfred said:


> @EHW , I’m pretty sure that’s a gray morel. You may want to wait and see what they will do. Even cover them up with a jar or bucket. I’m in Carroll Co. too and we may see snow over night. In a couple of days you should see a difference in them and check the woods behind the house you may find more.... Best of luck....


Great thanks for the Advice. I will go do that. I looked today for others along a stream bottom with lots of very old very tall tulip poplars, ash, and oak (i am sure there are others but not that good at identifying them yet) , and skunk cabbage, and very moist soil. The soil is very rocky, actually part of it is bolder field. I tramped around for an hour and a half and did not see morels, but had fun doing it. I will keep looking, but with in a few days maybe a week or so I suspect that all ferns will be blanketing the area. Many are already coming up, but many more to go. Most are still just starting to unfurl. In the summer the place is blanketed with them.


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## Kbshroom (Apr 1, 2017)

EHW said:


> Hi all, I am brand new to this site as of this morning, and I am a total newbie to mushrooms, but have eaten my first chicken of the woods, and shrimp of the woods last year -- and I am still alive  I enjoyed looking at this site and decided to join. I have a question.....
> 
> I was mowing the lawn and found this.....see pictures.
> View attachment 28344
> ...


Sure looks like a morel to me as well. Even if there are currently no trees it’s possible they were there at some point. I have seen morels grow in lawns where there were once trees that morels grow near. And I agree with redfred looks like a young grey morel and I would give a week keep an eye see what it does. Some seem to grow a lot and others not much. Nice find and welcome to your new addiction. Good luck hope you find a bunch.


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## EHW (Apr 14, 2020)

This is the first time I remember seeing these in that part of the yard -- it is right next to the woods and right next to my driveway. About two foot strip of grass. Perhaps we always mowed right over them with out seeing them. There were about 6 there 3 still standing -- maybe more will come up and I can do something with them. I will keep an eye out for them! Thanks!


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## Kbshroom (Apr 1, 2017)

EHW it’s very possible you mowed over them or possibly everything was just right this year. Morels are very interesting to say the least. Not always a logical answer for why they do what they did. That’s what makes it challenging to find them. But hopefully they continue to grow and possibly more come up in the area around there. Happy hunting!


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## Carolyn (May 8, 2017)

EHW, I once found them in a flower bed on the Johns Hopkins campus after some rain in the spring. The mycelium was in the mulch they had spread on the bed. So maybe you had something newly mulched - or even mulched last season.


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## EHW (Apr 14, 2020)

I will watch this one grow so I can learn a little about what they look like as they age. I can't help but notice that this mushroom looks more like a "brain" than a "honey comb" that seems so much more common on the pictures I have been seeing. But maybe as mentioned above that is the way this particular type of morel grows? I will keep looking for more in the area. 
Thanks!


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## Justin Carver (Apr 28, 2020)

redfred said:


> Sure looks like a morel to me... Morels can come in many colors. That is a young one and if you let it go awhile you will see some color change and size. It would be unusual for them to be growing in the grass but not unheard of. What tree or trees are near by even one they may have been removed? As long as you don’t have a lot of chemicals in your lawn you could always try one.. If you like the chicken or shrimp you may love these. Best of luck


Morel in my book.... Looks like a grey


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## EHW (Apr 14, 2020)

Thanks for all the input from everyone. I have learned a lot watching this mushroom. I think it is definitely a grey morel. I cut it open and it is totally hollow like all the comment and pictures. I also let it grow for several days. IT did open up a bit.... ie. the deeper parts got bigger and wider, and the whiter ridges got thinner and longer. It turned into something that has more of that honey comb appearance and less like a brain. IT was fun watching it grow. I never got to eat it because the area on my yard was sprayed, but I have put it more in the wood line so that the spores may spread and get out of the grass. We will see what happens next year!


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