I'm in zone 5 and actually found some morels growing next to the house I was living in a few years ago (also lots of meadow murshroom and puffballs). I have seen lots of mushrooms in the woods here, mostly various types of boletes, psilocybin mushrooms growing on horse manure on the trails (where horses are not supposed to be allowed), and coral mushrooms. I haven't seen morels in the woods, but I don't get out there as often as I would like.

There is an online place that has a lot of mushroom spawn and kits called Fungi Perfecti. I think they have a morel kit.

Thanks crankyoldman!

We have morels here in northwest Illinois, but too early for them yet. We usually start looking for them just before Mother's Day, but would probably be earlier in your area since you're further south. You've really got to get down and look hard for them. They blend in with the leaves on the forest floor. Once you've found your first one, it's easier to spot them because you know what to look for. Until I found my first one, I'd get bored and give up, but when I did, it was so exciting I looked for hours. LOL, maybe I should get a life!

Morel hunting is serious business in southern Indiana. Peolple guard their favorite spot and won't even tell family where it is. We went yesterday and found a few, but it has been very dry. The turkeys around here are hard on the mushrooms.

You can find mushrooms in zone 5. About the times the oaks are budding. I would imagine after last weeks warm weather and this past weekend rainfalls that you should be finding them anytime soon.

if you figure out how to reseed them you will be rich.

We usually dump our morel cleaning water in a targeted spot and shake spores out as much as possible. I think I had read somewhere it takes up to seven years for a spore to reproduce into a 'shroom bearing fungus...

Thanks everyone,
My BIL told me something interesting at Easter. He said that the morel population is dwindling, because people are collecting them in plastic bags. Before they would collect them in baskets or nets, and the spores would fall out along the way.....but with plastic, nothing gets out. So be sure to use something like a net bag when collecting them.

We just moved here 2 years ago and were introduced to morels. We live in central Indiana. The best location I have found is when you find a dead elm and the wild rose in combination. I have been told they have a 20-28 day life cycle before they start turning to mush. I have several marked out and watching the growth rate. They do grow depending on the weather, however sometimes it dose'nt seem like it. I have also found that the season will start with the smaller brown ones and as the season progresses the large yellow ones will be found. Hope this helps.
Goldencreek

I found 2 morels in the woods near my house yesterday. I enjoy looking for them as much as I enjoy finding them. The walk in the woods is the best!

Catherine, we always use onion bags for collecting. My heart sinks when I find garlic mustard so prevalent that we can't find the mushrooms for the weeds!!! Garlic mustard has got to be one of the worst weeds on the planet!!

I just can't believe how quickly our property has become overrun with garlic mustard. I think I just noticed the first ones a couple years ago, now it's everywhere. The garlic mustard and the honeysuckle are going to have to duke it out. I think I'd root for the garlic mustard.....but it would be a pretty hard choice! Maybe they'd kill each other. YAY!!
Congrats on finding those 'shrooms.

Catherine, there was an article today in my hometown newspaper about a couple guys who, so far, have picked 20 lbs of the things. So they must be out. Last year, my carpenter asked me for permission to hunt for them out at my parents place where he'd gotten some while building their house. He found none last year though.