I would be careful with that mushroom, initially it looks correct, but looking closer; I have never seen that configuration, the twins from one stump plus the little ones below. Also the indentations seem way to orderly. They are placed straight in a line up and down. I would cut one open. A morel is completely hollow, a false morel is partially solid. Hard to tell from picture, but I would be very careful with that. I pick and eat many morels each season and I just don't like the looks of those. Hope this helps, Charles

Kathy, I'm almost 60 y/o. I tramped all over Jefferson and Shelby counties when I was growing up while hunting. This was back in the days when northern and eastern Jefferson county was mostly woods and fields, Hwy 280 was a winding 2 lane road and almost all of Shelby county was like Oak Mountain park. I don't ever remember seeing anything which even resembled a morel mushroom. The website: http://thegreatmorel.com/faq.html#q1 tells us:QUESTION: Do morels grow in my region of the United States? ANSWER:This is an often-asked question and with the exception of a few geographical areas, the answer is more than likely -yes. However, while it seems the Great Lakes region in the midwest is the hot bed for the morel, the morels are found in most regions of the US with the exception of the desert and deep southern coastal areas. The Great Morel suggests that you contact your area's nature and wildlife department for assistance as an added information source.

Those are some great pics. Nothing like teaching them young. I noticed you had your son covered.Did you have any tick problems? I heard they are out pretty bad. I get poison ivy every year too. I think my dog helps with that. There is always a drawn back with a nice stroll in the woods.

Start looking for them under hardwood trees. Especially after a rain. Also, if there is an area that has burned. There is a website, it think it is mushroom world, and it shows the timing for each state. In your state it said after april 12. Honestly, it is different every year. Once it hits 70 degrees, go looking!