The article linked below was published by OMS in the January/February 2007 Mushroom Log and was originally written for readers in the Washington D.C. area at least two years earlier. In spite of the passage of time and the different geography, most of it is still very useful for those in Ohio who want to learn to find morel mushrooms. Many thanks to Pete Richards for contributing the following comments to update and supplement it.
MORELS AND HOW TO FIND THEM, BY TIM GEHO
2024 Supplementary Notes by Pete Richards:
Frequent mention is made of Michael Kuo’s website MushroomObserver.com and of a “forthcoming” book on morels by him, “due October 2005”. www.mushroomobserver.com is still a vital website, actively updated, one of the most useful for learning about mushrooms in general and morels specifically. His book, Morels (2005), is fun and informative and should be required reading for would-be morel hunters.
Three websites are cited in the article as places to follow the progression of morel fruitings from south to north as the spring progresses, in the form of frequently-updated maps with dates of first reported morel sightings for the year in a given place:
www.mushroomexpert.com no longer provides progress maps.
www.morelmania.com now catalogs sightings via a private Facebook group.
www.morelmushroomhuntingclub.com is no longer an active website, but www.morelmushroomhunting.com appears to be a replacement, although at least parts of it appear to be member-only
https://www.thegreatmorel.com/morel-sightings/ is an alternative site for morel progression maps that has a map set up for 2024 (mostly blank as of March 1, 2024).
The article suggests that tulip popular groves are the best place to find morels. This may be true in the area around Washington D.C., but is not true for Ohio in my experience. Although large elms and ash trees are largely things of the past, hunting can still be good around smaller elms, and around recently dead ash trees. Old apple trees and orchards and wild cherry trees can be productive. Burn sites are worth investigating. Some people swear by old iron, such as fences and even rusty farm implements.
The article mentions the changing taxonomy of morels in response to DNA studies, with 14 recognized species, at least 6 in Pennsylvania. As of 2024, MushroomExpert.com lists 18 species of morels (the genus Morcella). Of these, five definitely occur in Ohio, and two more are possible. The morels commonly referred to as the greys, yellows, and whites are M. esculentoides or M. cryptica; the two species cannot be separated by eye, but both are choice edibles. M. angusticeps is the black morel (east of the Rockies). M. punctipes is the half-free morel. M. diminutiva is a small light-colored morel, rare in my experience. M. prava and M. tomentosa are known from other areas, but might possibly be found in Ohio. In my experience, M. esculentoides/M cryptica and M. punctipes are most common, followed by M. angusticeps, with M. diminutiva the least common. MushroomExpert.com will help you recognize these, all of which are edible.
Finally, please be sure you learn the difference between the Morcella species and similar species of the genera Verpa and Gyromitra, the false morels. To novice collectors, these can be mistaken for true morels, but their edibility is a matter of debate, at best, and some are quite toxic. Consult MushroomExpert.com, and don’t take a chance on something you are not sure is one of the Morcella species. If possible, have an experienced morel collector check your finds individually to verify your identifications.
Michael Kuo’s mnemonic recommendations for morel hunters:
If it ain’t hollow, don’t swallow.
If it’s wavy, don’t make it gravy.
If it’s reddish, you could be deadish.
When in doubt, throw it out!
–Morels, pg. 30
If you don’t understand these recommendations, then you’re not yet ready to put those mushrooms in your spaghetti.
– Pete Richards
Ohio Mushroom Society 