Nature's Spring Delicacy

In early to mid April depending on the spring temperatures, rainfall, and sunshine many Kentucky natives hit the woods in search of a spring delicacy that has been enjoyed for generations, the morel mushroom.  The morel mushroom is a sought after delight by many not just by those from Kentucky, it is featured on many cooking shows which boast its delicious flavor.

 

 There are several names morel mushrooms are known by such as:  dry land fish, johnny jump ups, and many more.  The morel is found in wooded areas in the eastern United States around tulip poplar trees, white ash,white pine, elm, sycamore, and apple trees.  After a good spring rain when temperatures range in the mid 60s to 70s, and the sun pops out...the morels
" POP UP"!

Morels can be difficult to see due to the camouflaging affect with the winters leaf coverage on the forest floor yet they do have very distinctive features.  Seasoned eagle eyed morel hunters seem to have an astute radar for locating the hard to see rascals. It takes a dedicated hunter to find these tasty delights.

Like all mushroom hunting and eating you must be very careful because there are impostures that can be deadly.  The morel, while unlike most mushrooms,  even with its distinctive characteristics you still must use caution  because there are "fake morels".


 

 All true morels must have hollow stems from the bottom to top of the inside of the mushroom.  When you slice a morel in half it should be hollow just like the picture.

The fake morels have lumpy almost brain like shapes which is not typical of a morel. They also do not have a hollow stem, they have a cottony fibrous stem.   If you look at the stem of the fake morel you can see it has almost a white pithy inside which is a big indicator that you have a fake morel and can be very dangerous if eaten.

Your state parks welcome you to visit and try to find a morel mushroom in the wild.  Observation is welcomed,  but please remember that what is on the park...stays on the park.  We want our guests to have a positive experience learning more about the natural wonders that fill our parks, so look but do not touch!  Happy hunting!  





Written by:  Kathy Myers

Tree Vandalism

How many times have you walked down one of the many state park trails and find this type vandalism on massive beech or hickory trees?  We see it much too often, huge gashes and carvings in the tree bark.

 The overall health of the forest depends on the care of the trees by humans and nature.  When people take sharp instruments and gouge into the sensitive bark of a tree it is about the same as carving on a person's skin.  Trees have no one to patch them up and treat the wounds so to speak, because that is essentially what they are...wounds. Once the tree has been carved, these wounds do not heal.  The scars remain until the tree dies.  These wounds leave the tree susceptible to numerous pathogens from insects to fungal infections, and various tree diseases.

The inner bark or "phloem" of the beech tree is very thin.  When the phloem is damaged from carving near the trunk of the tree it can alter the natural course of water uptake and nutrient supply from the tree to the root system, such as would accumulate and disperse through photosynthesis. Tree carving is a huge detriment to the overall health of trees.


  

Beech trees play a vital role in the ecosystems of our parks as well as  non park related forests.  They provide food and shelter for wildlife, plus the root systems help prevent soil erosion and  help keep natural land formations in tact.

The next time you are walking a nature trail at one of Kentucky's state parks take time to enjoy all the beautiful trees, but please if you must leave your mark, sign our guest book and keep our trees beautiful and alive.



Written by : Kathy Myers LCSRP Volunteer
Photos by:  Brooke Barenfanger LCSRP Volunteer