How to Find False Morels?

[Nick_in_Scotland]

Well, I've given up on ever finding wild Morels but I think I've got a better chance with False Morels, specifically Gyromitra esculenta. There's a photo of one in a book I've owned since my childhood and it has always fascinated me with its strange turban like "cap" and odd growing season. Back then I had ideas for distilling the deadly monomethylhydrazine poison out of it and using it to make rocket fuel but that is another story......

Anyway, I'm in Scotland, which is a plus as apparently they're more common up North, there's plenty of pinewoods here and I've got my eye on a particular forest near a sand quarry which should be good as they like sandy soil, or so I've read.

I reckon it's still a bit cold for them but maybe they'll pop up if the weather warms up in the next week or two. As I understand it they grow a bit earlier than true Morels, indeed I remember someone posted a picture of them here once growing out of the snow but at the moment it's still freezing here.

So I guess what I'm asking is if my strategy seems good and if anyone who finds these fungi regularly could give me any pointers on other signs to look for i.e. is other vegetation growing in the woods a good sign? mixed woods or pure pine? young forest or old? does rain help a lot or do they prefer drier conditions? etc...etc

No directions to specific sites please as I don't want to remove the challenge too much

[Leif]

Now is the season, in southern England anyway. They are always the first of the brain fungi to appear. I am sure your season is a little different.

I have found them in numerous locations, but I have no idea why they grow in one spot and not another. Quite a few years back they were popping up everywhere, presumably due to favourable weather conditions, and many of them were huge. One site I found about 3 years ago in the Bedfordshire area has young Pines growing close together on sandy soil on a slope. I spent hours walking round the area until I found some, and there was nothing obviously special about the location. There were huge numbers in that one spot, perhaps 50m by 50m, none elsewhere. Another site in Surrey has mature Pines on sandy soil on a slope. With the exception of one year, they always grow in a small area, and not in apparently similar sites nearby. I have been told about some sites in west Hants that are in commercial Pine plantations.

The best plan is to walk across a wide area in the hope of spotting some. They do tend to occur in large groups.

[earthdragon64]

In previous years I've seen them in a few places locally, but everything is totally covered in snow at the moment. It's usually early April I see them here and it is in mainly Old Scot's Pine forest, although I have seen them on the edge of plantation forest. Often the undervegetation will be a Blaeberry/Heather mix.

I see them on path edges, often quite sandy or gravelly, with a bit of dry needle litter at the edge. If you have no joy finding any, and desperately want to see some, PM me if you want a location.

[CapAndBracket]

They havn't appeared in the one location i usually see them yet.
As Leif has said, a small patch in a larger area of scots pine, i does seem searching a large area is neccessary but on finding one several will appear in that spot.

Cheers J.P.

[cybershot]

I have seen these in three places locally (including the site JP has already mentioned), associated with pine either in plantations, in trackside gully or mixed wood clearing among grass. Unlike other reports, found only in small numbers each time rather than large trooping groups. My 2008/2009 records show fruiting between the end of March and mid April. (The snow covered specimen, referred to earlier, was found on Greenham Common, Berks in early April 2008 after a surprise freak fall of snow, only due to JP knowing they were already fruiting in the area. Fungi in the snow)

David

[Nick_in_Scotland]

Thank you all for the replies . So it seems I'm looking in the right kind of places, I just need to look more! One thing that did stand out from the replies is that they maybe have a preference for areas exposed to the daylight i.e. mature forest = well spaced trees and growing on the edges of plantations and in grassy clearings. Then again Leif, you were talking about them growing in closely spaced young pine. As usual there's no simple rules where fungi hunting is involved....

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Nick_in_Scotland

As usual there's no simple rules where fungi hunting is involved....

Sadly that is true. Some species seem to occur anywhere that the host/substrate is found. But other species are more choosy.

My guess is that Gyromitra esculenta is usually out competed by other mychorrizal fungi. In other words, the roots of most Pines are already 'infected' with other species of fungi which for some reason are better suited to our soil and climate. It might be that G. esculenta thrives best when the soil lacks certain minerals, which it can pass to the host tree more effectively than other species, hence it can gain a toe hold. (If you did not already know that fungi have toes, well you do now. )

[sbeau66]

I bought some chipped bark from homebase , it was a conifer bark and it was very damp and full of white fungi roots, i spread it out and after a few weeks there were loads of morels growing from it, not sure whether they were true or false ones but i thought i,d tell you about it

[Nick_in_Scotland]

Originally Posted by Leif

Sadly that is true. Some species seem to occur anywhere that the host/substrate is found. But other species are more choosy.

My guess is that Gyromitra esculenta is usually out competed by other mychorrizal fungi. In other words, the roots of most Pines are already 'infected' with other species of fungi which for some reason are better suited to our soil and climate. It might be that G. esculenta thrives best when the soil lacks certain minerals, which it can pass to the host tree more effectively than other species, hence it can gain a toe hold. (If you did not already know that fungi have toes, well you do now. )

That maybe explains how they seem to be able to crawl away the night before I decide to go on a fungi foray! Very interesting thoughts by the way. I love to study where different species grow and how the surroundings affect them.

[Nick_in_Scotland]

Originally Posted by sbeau66

I bought some chipped bark from homebase , it was a conifer bark and it was very damp and full of white fungi roots, i spread it out and after a few weeks there were loads of morels growing from it, not sure whether they were true or false ones but i thought i,d tell you about it

There have been quite a few reports on this forum of Morels growing out of wood chip like you describe. This gives rise to thoughts of some intriguing possibilities