Early May in WI brings new life to our region. Even with some nights dipping low into the 30’s, life is springing up everywhere- you just need to what to look for and where to look. Pictured above are some Morel mushrooms. If you are unfamiliar, Morel mushrooms drive thousands of Wisconsinites into the woods in search of these delicacies, which can fetch a hefty price if you want to sell them. These small mushrooms range in size from 1 to 8 inches and continue to evade our ability to cultivate them. Thus you need to search for them in the wild. Your best bet is to look near dead elm trees but of course, it is not only correct identification of trees that you need to be concerned with. Mushroom ID always requires caution. You can read more about finding, identification, and cooking of morels Here.
The great thing is all the other unexpected things you see and find while out in the woods for looking for Morels. Possibly a deer shed antler from February, warblers migrating through, or even a turkey nest like this one below. My family and I found this nest while on our Morel escapades (not to mention 3 dozen morel mushrooms!!)
And we can’t forget our spring ephemeral flowers. These beauties carpet our forests and do most of their life cycle before the tree leaves come out on the trees and shade them out. Maybe for Mother’s Day this year take your Mom out for a walk through one of Wisconsin’s beautiful forested parks or preserves, you never know what you are going to find.
Catholic Ecology Center Blog 