The mating dance of the grouse could be heard in the near distance and as luck would have it a foray participant flushed it out of the bush. This was an early morel foray and it was extremely successful – with at least 143 Verpa bohemica foraged. One lucky person was able to gather 43 Verpa; 2 people were able to gather about 25 each; several a dozen each and most people were able to gather 1 or 2. We came for verpas. We found verpas. Additionally, we found 2 yellow morels.

Date:  Thursday, May 16, 2024. 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Location: Ministik Bird Sanctuary

Foray Leader(s):  Karen Slevinsky, Ryan Armishaw

Attendees: 49

Weather: It was 8 degrees and sunny at 6 p.m. and felt warm; by 8 p.m. it had dropped to 7 degrees but the sun was gone and it felt cold.

Terrain: Mature deciduous forest, with some shrubs; relatively easy to walk in.

Finds: Verpa bohemica (~150) Morchella esculenta (2) several small fleshy brackets, some large brackets, and a small number of little brown (gilled) mushrooms, and a lovely collection of Microstoma protractum.

Listed below are the names of specimens found – names may not necessarily reflect the most current scientific genus

  1. Verpa bohemica
  2. Morchella esculenta
  3. Microstoma protractum
  4. Fomitopsis pinicola