2010 Spring Forays Summary

We had a winter with very little snowfall, so it was interesting to see what kind of morel season would follow. With the milder temperatures, an early season was anticipated. Mushrooms did arrive earlier. The long dry spell in April and good portion of May proved to be the important factor. Some good sized esculenta were found in the first two forays but not many smaller ones. That was the pattern for all of May.

We had no idea how long the morels would last. Although some were collected in each foray, they were fainting away with the heat in the last forays. Ptychoverpa bohemica was very rare but Morchella elata was more prominent. In total 673 morels were collected in the 12 organized forays: a low of 2 and high of 161, in all, 58 species of dry and fresh mushrooms were identified.

Participation was very high, averaging 26, especially after the article in the Toronto Star describing our foray in Barrie; the picture of the foragers and the ground half covered with snow pretty well showed what challenge we faced. The foray turned out to be successful, thanks in part to Catherine Moorhouse who came out with a full basket of esculenta.

In all, it was kind of average season, hard to compare to last year's. Of note were the robust patches of Mayapples and long lasting Trilliums, or is it only my impression?

The dedication of our foray leaders makes every foray special and interesting for all the participants, in particular for the new visitors who eventually join the organization. Now we all face the challenge of summer and fall with more varieties, so let's brush up on names to be ready.

Details of each foray will be on our website.

Wishing all a pleasurable summer,

- Your Foray Director, Umberto Pascali