MISSOURI, USA — Missouri's most popular mushroom is once again popping out of the ground throughout the state, but they're reemerging about a month ahead of schedule.
"I can't recall the map filling up this fast, nor the progression line moving north this quickly into the season," said Ron, the admin of the Missouri Morel Hunting Facebook page.
Missouri's morel mushroom season usually begins in the Bootheel around late March, but the mushrooms have already been spotted in numerous counties across the state since late February, according to the page.
"This certainly is a very early start to the season and we all can imagine that we will have cold fronts come through to stall fruiting throughout the season," Ron said in an earlier post. "It will likely make for a longer season if temps drop dramatically and then rise."
Morels are the fruiting body of mycelium that either lives symbiotically with living vegetation or decomposes dead vegetation, according to Native Landscape Specialist Alix Daniel at the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). The mushrooms are identified by their iconic honeycombed cap with black to brownish ridges and yellowish-brown pits.
Temperature and precipitation are the biggest factors for morel fruiting, something the mushroom tends to be very picky about.
"In our region, [morels] seem to be triggered from the shift of winter to spring," Daniel told 5 On Your Side. "They should be starting to pop when the night temps are in the 50s and the daytime temps are in the 70s consistently."
Daniel agrees with Ron's estimation that this is one of the earliest morel seasons she's witnessed. Missouri has seen earlier and earlier starts to morel season as warmer temperatures arrive in the state sooner and sooner.
"It can take them 3-4 weeks to reach full size, but by that time you run the risk of them being harvested by someone other than you!" Daniel said.
Daniel's best advice for people interested in starting a mushroom-hunting hobby is to brush up on state tree knowledge. Morels typically pop up in high-quality forests at the base of trees like Oak, Hickory, Maple, Ash, Elm and Cottonwood. They are also known to emerge at the base of native and non-native fruit trees.
Interested in learning more? Daniel is hosting a virtual morel mushroom class on March 19 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Click here to register.
MDC also published a guide to the state's edible and poisonous mushrooms. Click here to download a free copy of the guide.
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