Morels are popping up

Morel season is starting in parts of the United States, with early reports from Massachusetts and Iowa signaling the spring hunt is underway. (patch.com) (radioiowa.com) In Iowa, Iowa State University Extension said on March 2 that morel hunting season was approaching, and Radio Iowa reported on April 13 that warmer spring weather had already brought hunters into the woods. (naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu) (radioiowa.com) The Great Morel, a crowd-sourced tracking site used by foragers, says the 2026 season picked up in early April after a slow start, with 275 April sightings posted as of the page capture. (thegreatmorel.com) Morels are prized partly because the season is short and the mushrooms still mostly come from the wild rather than farms. Recette Magazine said morels have a brief growing window and an earthy, nutty flavor that keeps them in demand with cooks and chefs. (blog.suvie.com) In Massachusetts, Patch reported that morels begin appearing as spring warms up, and it pointed readers to reports near dead or dying elm trees and around ash, tulip and old apple trees. (patch.com) (naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu) Iowa extension specialist Chelsea Harbach said foragers need permission before entering private land, and mushrooms collected from Iowa public land cannot be sold. Iowa State University Extension also says anyone who wants to legally sell eight kinds of wild-harvested mushrooms in Iowa must earn certification. (radioiowa.com) (naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu) Rules differ well beyond Iowa. The Association of Food and Drug Officials keeps a state-by-state guide to mushroom harvesting, sale and safety rules, listing separate resources and regulatory documents for states from Iowa and Maine to Washington and Wyoming. (afdo.org) Safety advice goes beyond land access. Iowa State University Extension’s Safe Mushroom Foraging Program says spring sessions focus on morels and identification basics, and federal investigators reported in 2024 that a Montana outbreak in 2023 sickened 51 people after they ate raw or undercooked morels, with three hospitalizations and two deaths. (naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu) (cdc.gov) That leaves morel season looking a lot like it does every April: short, local and closely watched by people who know the woods can change week to week. (thegreatmorel.com) (blog.suvie.com)