In this episode of Spring Mushroom Foraging PNW Adventures, join us as we set out mushroom hunting one of our absolute favorites, the Morel Mushroom, in a wildfire burn site west of the Cascades. At this low elevation burn site, we were blessed with an insane volume of burn morels of the Morchella Elata clade including Morchella exuberans, sextelata, & eximia, as well as the Gray Fire Morel (Morchella tomentosa) ... and even some naturals, such as the American Blond Morel (Morchella americana). All said, we can away with smiles, full buckets/bags, and over 10 pounds of morels before lunch! It was quite a bounty out there, and so much fun!
Here is a bit of what you can expect to see in this episode:
00:00 Intro
01:24 Several small to medium size Morels up on shelf (likely sitings of Morchella exuberans)
04:13 Pinewood Gingertail (Xeromphalina campanella)
05:28 Eagle Feather - illegal to Harvest! Burn Morels - okay!
06:07 First Morel Siting in the Flood Plain ... and so it begins!
06:44 Initial patterns and things we keyed into (presence of fungus gnats and bright orange micro cups)
08:52 Muddy Flood Plain beginning to solid flushes of Morels
10:07 Finding Flags
11:06 Insane Flushes of Burn Morels begin...
12:44 Tons of Gray Fire Morels (Morchella tomentosa)
14:48 Insane Flushes of Burn Morels continue under Bigleaf Maple
15:29 Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
16:15 West Coast Reishi (Ganoderma oregonense)
17:25 More Morels
18:44 Palomino Cup (Peziza varia)
20:18 More Grays (Morchella tomentosa)
21:13 Burn Morel Flushes Seem to be getting even more impressive
21:51 Biggest Morel of the day?
23:18 Natural Morels Too - American Blond Morel (Morchella americana)
24:25 The BIGGEST Palomino Cup (Peziza varia) I've Ever Seen!
26:09 Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
27:26 Split Gill (Schizophyllum commune)
29:17 Tree Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria)
31:41 Final Haul - Over 10 lbs - Different Species - Bucket/Bag - Reflections
All of this footage was filmed May 3rd, west of the Cascades Crest and at relatively low elevation. This is just the beginning of what is to come! As we get further into the season, we'll all be able to chase the Burn Morels up to higher and higher elevation. So many interesting places to discover, and so much natural phenomena to explore in the days to come.
Thanks so much for tuning in, and... until next time... Happy Trails!
** A quick disclaimer, all information in this video is for educational and entertainment purposes only. This is meant as a starting point for all of you to dig deeper, pick up field guides, and to continue to grow knowledge and experience with the natural world. None of this should be taken as health advice, food recommendations, etc. Also, it is important to know that I am always sure to cook my Morels thoroughly before consuming... and to be aware that some people are allergic to different wild mushroom species.
Here's to continuing to learn, to grow, and to live close the natural world that exists just outside our doors!