May is Morel month. There are at least 3 different morels species that we find in May: the Black Morel (Morchella elata), the Yellow Morel (Morchella esculenta) and the Half-free Morel (Morchella semilibera). They generally appear in that order. Some people believe there is at least one other morel in our area that they call the Gray or Tulip/Ash Morel. While it looks somewhat distinct from the Yellow Morel, mainly in being smaller, there is as yet no official species name for the Gray Morel, which may in fact just be an immature form of the Yellow Morel. Whether gary or yellow, we usually just call this Morchella esculenta.

Morels are found under specific tree species. The large sought-after Yellow Morels (Morchella esculenta) are found in established or abandoned apple-tree orchards and under dying elms. Black Morels (Morchella elata), Half-frees (Morchella semilibera) and ‘Grays’ (Morchella esculenta) are found under ash and tulip poplars. Be aware, however, that they are not found under everyone of these trees. A couple of Spring’s ago I must have looked under 100 dying elms and found no morels! Nevertheless you have a better chance of finding them under apple, elm, tulip and ash trees than others (although I have found Grays even under maple)!

Morels are choice mushrooms that go with just about any kind of accompaniment from meat, pasta, or eggs to vegan dishes. Most people like to prepare them in butter. Morels also preserve well when dried. Some people insist they taste better dried than fresh (always cook your mushrooms. Never eat them raw). Half-free morels are comparatively skimpy, but experienced collectors like to dry then crush them to use as a flavoring. (For more on morels, see Michael Kuo’s MORELS, U. of Michigan Press, 2005).

One other common mushroom of May is the toxic False Morel (Gyromitra esculenta). Oddly, ‘esculenta’ means delicious.
Some people are known to eat Gyromitra, especially further west where the existing species may have comparatively little
of the offending compound ‘Gyromitrin’, an ingredient found in rocket fuel! Or they prepare the mushroom in such a way as
to boil off the dangerous gases - or they just have tough digestive systems! Knowing that chefs who mistaken False Morels
for the real thing have keeled over and died from inhaling the fumes of these fungi, I am not going to recommend you play
Russian Roulette to see what happens.


OTHER MAY MUSHROOMS
Many people new to wild mushroom collecting are surprised to learn that there are few other edible mushrooms in May. It is just the beginning of the season, and you will soon discover that as the months pass (or by June!) there are more species of mushrooms popping up than you can master. Mushrooms first appearing in May are relatively easy to learn, even the inedible ones. So this is a good time to learn them all. Commonly found non-morels found at this time of year include the Dryad Saddle (Polyporus squamosus), the Spring Entoloma (Nolanea verna), the Deer or Fawn Mushroom (Pluteus cervinus) and the Oak-loving Collybia (Collybia dryophila ). The first is edible when young and pliable, tasting some say like watermelon rind. Some folks believe it a consolation prize for not finding morels! But I have tasted several dishes made with Dryad Saddle by Joe and Kathy Brandt and they were all absolutely delicious! Both the Fawn Mushroom (Pluteus cervinus) and the Oak-loving Collybia (Collybia dryophila) first appear in May, but can be found throughout the mushroom-growing season. Some others with a summer and fall season include Pholiota aurivella, Coprinus micaceus, Schyzophyllum commune, Hericium americanum, Psathyrella hydrophila and P. rugocephela, and Tricholomopsis pltayphylla. Oyster mushrooms and most polypores can be found year-round.