# my first blacks this year, April 15



## hugh (Apr 15, 2013)

we found our first blacks of the season today in fairfield co. these were around living elms


----------



## superfungus (Apr 4, 2013)

Nice. My buddy found almost a dozen near Bellefontaine.


----------



## rsbowhunt (Apr 15, 2013)

Let them grow!!!!! Those are fresh and would be nice in 3-5 days.


----------



## cbus82 (Apr 10, 2013)

Thats good to hear Hugh. I have been skunked the 3 or 4 times I have been out around central ohio. You gave me new hope that I might have some better luck this week and weekend.

Nice pic by the way.


----------



## hugh (Apr 15, 2013)

this is definitely a later season than the last few due to the cool temps. I think it could be a good year, though


----------



## thunter (Mar 12, 2013)

nice hugh, found some further south today...liked what i was seeing and think these next couple weeks are going to bring good fungus fortune to all :wink:


----------



## pedro (Oct 17, 2012)

I found five blacks today, some mica caps, some scarlet cups and devil urns. Three of the blacks were fresh to were very old and fell apart when handled. The older ones had to have been up for a couple weeks. I did not see any half frees or small greys.


----------



## shrooms4brains (Apr 16, 2013)

This IS going to be a GREAT YEAR for Morels here in OHIO!


----------



## compostingforever (Apr 16, 2013)

Nice photo! We found our first blacks of the year today too. Fourt-five of them to be exact! Most of them were around 2 inches, some bigger, some smaller. If we get some more rain (as expected) things should be really picking up. . Anyways, happy shrooming from Southern Ohio! Goodluck <a href="">


----------



## compostingforever (Apr 16, 2013)

Find the shroom pic April 15th 2013!


----------



## buckeyeshroom (Apr 13, 2013)

Nice finds. We were out on Sunday in some new areas that looked good but were skunked. Mayapples are just beginning to poke through the cover. I was surprised that the south facing slopes did not look to be any further along than the others. I'm hoping by late this week or this weekend they'll be popping up to say hello. My only concern is the lower temps starting on Friday - Sunday. Could the dips into the 30's at night create issues?


----------



## imfubar (Mar 1, 2013)

The cooler temps are far better for a shroom season than regular 55+ days


----------



## morelseeker (Oct 16, 2012)

I like to eat black and half free morels better than any. I also think sometimes that there are different subspecies of blacks. Some are kind of light colored while others are real dark black and are harder to see in the shadows of leaves. I went to a black shroom area today, didn't spend much time, clay soil, didn't find any. This is one of the best places I know of though. It was north of Rt. 36


----------



## buckeye john (Apr 16, 2013)

Great Pic !!!! Can't wait to get out here in Shelby county.


----------



## thunter (Mar 12, 2013)

@buckeye shroom, the cool temps won't bother them. 
In 08....maybe a once in a lifetime season, March was unseasonably cool ,the first week of April it was in the 30's at night, warmed up, then back into the 30's the 13th-16th. This spring has been very similar. Cooler is better, stinks waiting around, but the years I've been frying shrooms in March, have all been bad ones.
Pretty cool site to check out....http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/lcdpage.htm You can go back and check out what made for a good/bad yr. weather-wise.

@Morelseeker, I'm not sure there are sub species of blacks. When I was young I remember dad coming home with what he would call brown sponge. I'm sure what he had were blacks that had not matured yet. They have different color stages as they mature. Had he left those alone, they would have eventually turned jet black at maturity.


----------



## hugh (Apr 15, 2013)

I believe the latest scientific opinion (which does keep changing) is that the black morels we have here in the eastern US are all mostly the same mushroom, Morchella augusticeps. See the discussion on Mushroom Expert's site: 
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/morchella_angusticeps.html

The ones that are really confusing are the so-called "tulip" or "deliciosa" morels, which do have multiple forms


----------



## compostingforever (Apr 16, 2013)

Hey Hugh! You find anymore the last couple of days? I just found another haul today  Very exciting, where are you located?


----------



## pedro (Oct 17, 2012)

The good Dr. Kuo has a way of keeping us confused. I am still keeping the morchella elata in my vocabulary. They now want to call that Morchella septentrionalis. I like the term Elata better. I find those in a few places in Ohio but a lot in Michigan. They are generally much larger than the normal angusticeps. The heads are much darker and the stems pure white. Just my two cents worth.


----------

