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Discover Nature (Missouri Department of Conservation)

Discover Nature: Morel Mushrooms

KBIA | By Kyle Felling
Published April 6, 2021 at 5:06 PM CDT
A black morel mushroom with dark, honeycomb patter, conical top emerges on a cream-colored stem from a forest floor.
A black morel mushroom emerges from the forest floor. Morel mushrooms develop in diverse habitats, including moist woodlands and in river bottoms. They are often associated with ash trees, dying elms, and apple trees, although they are found elsewhere.

As nighttime temperatures begin to climb and soil warms in Missouri’s woods, a fungal favorite of foragers begins to emerge.

   

 

This week on discover nature, keep an eye to the ground for morel mushrooms. 

 

Morels are hollow-stemmed mushrooms, with a somewhat conical cap, covered with definite pits and ridges, resembling a sponge, pinecone, or honeycomb.  

 

These choice-edibles grow in a variety of habitats including moist woodlands and river bottoms. 

 

Morels exist most of the time underground as a network of cells – or mycelium – connected to tree roots, rotting material, and the soil. When soil warms in early spring the mycelium develops the reproductive structure we recognize as a morel, which releases millions of spores from each cap to continue the lifecycle. 

 

Morels are treasured for their delicious flavor and the fun of the hunt – often a family tradition spanning generations. 

 

Before eating any wild mushrooms, be completely certain you’ve correctly identified them.  Some morel lookalikes can be poisonous and even deadly. 

 

Learn more about morel mushrooms, including how to identify and how to cook them, with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s online field guide and the Missouri Mycological Society. 

 

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation. 
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Kyle Felling
Kyle Felling’s work at KBIA spans more than three decades. In 2025, he became KBIA and KMUC's Station Manager. He began volunteering at the station while he was a Political Science student at the University of Missouri. After being hired as a full-time announcer, he served as the long-time local host of NPR’s All Things Considered on KBIA, and was Music Director for a number of years. Starting in 2010, Kyle became KBIA’s Program Director, overseeing on-air programming and operations while training and supervising the station’s on-air staff. During that period, KBIA regularly ranked among the top stations in the Columbia market, and among the most listened to stations in the country. He was instrumental in the launch of KBIA’s sister station, Classical 90.5 FM in 2015, and helped to build it into a strong community resource for classical music. Kyle has also worked as an instructor in the MU School of Journalism, training the next generation of journalists and strategic communicators. In his spare time, he enjoys playing competitive pinball, reading comic books and Joan Didion, watching the Kansas City Chiefs, and listening to Bruce Springsteen and the legendary E Street Band.
See stories by Kyle Felling
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