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Pine Cones: Morel Arch Nemesis

Circling fallen trees, I stalked the forest like an Osprey over water. A creek rushing in the distance broke the powerful silence. Rain from the night prior left the deciduous floor damp to the touch. “Perfect”, I thought, training my sight towards the ground. Summonsing ancient scavenger instincts buried deep within the genome, I hunted, for Morel mushrooms. Before discouragement set it, my eyes turned, and there it was. Smiling at the find, I shuffled over, scissors in hand, reached down and, “What!? Oh man.. Damn Pine Cone.” Identical in size, color and profile, Morels and Pine Cones inhabit the same environment, but differ greatly in texture, taste and value. Not thwarted by the emotional roller coaster dealt from pine cone after pine cone, I continued hunting. Finally, glimmering in the morning light, nestled between an opening in the trees, stood the prized Morel.

An hour of wandering through Aspens & Cottonwoods yielded a bounty of one Morel mushroom. Doesn’t sound like mission accomplished. In fact, the only saving grace is that an hour of wandering through Aspens & Cottonwoods yielded a peaceful state of mind ready to attack the day. Off in the distance, the mountains stood watch. Ever present and always there.

Morels are more commonly found under deciduous trees rather near than conifers. Common trees in the northern hemisphere associated with Morels include ash, sycamore, tulip tree, dead and dying elms, cottonwoods and old apple trees. Black morels may grow abundantly in forests which have been burned by a forest fire. The reasoning for this phenomenon is still unknown, but is attributed to vast amount of decaying wood on the forest floor.