I've been hunting this fungus since I was a child, but only fairly recently discovered that it is not just a local treat but a worldwide obsession. Morels grow in temperate climates all over the globe and have been sought after for centuries.

The frustrating part of the morel story is that, despite their popularity, a method of growing them commercially has yet to be developed. A patent for such a method was granted in 1986, but attempts to use it have apparently been unsuccessful. So morel-lovers are resigned to climbing hills and crawling through briars, or paying exhorbitant prices at farmer's markets or online, to get a taste of this special mushroom in its all-too-short season.

While morels grow in many areas under varying conditions, one apparent constant in the area where I hunt them is their appearance under elm trees. In studying this phenomenon, I developed a theory of my own to explain this that is somewhat at odds with the prevailing theory. (Both of these theories will be discussed later.)

In spring 2005, I decided to conduct a field study to find out if my theory had any merit. According to my theory, morels would most likely be found in close proximity to roots of the host tree, something not necessarily true in the prevailing theory. The following pages present my preliminary findings and the theory that led me on this search.