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A University of Illinois Extension expert always loves to preview the mushroom hunting season. Forestry Specialist Chris Evans says it’s a great tradition in the spring to search out mushrooms.

“We continue on the path we are going where we’ve had adequate rain, we have enough soil moisture and a nice slow warm up, our spring mushrooms and particularly our morels, we should have a great year this year.  Now that could be turned off anytime if we get a drought or it get’s really warm real fast and the soil temperature increases it could shut off.  But I’m hopeful we have a good season this year.”

Morel mushrooms are the most popular in the spring, but Evans says there are quite a number of other edible mushrooms that can be found growing in Illinois, including pheasant backs, oysters, chicken-of-the woods, chanterelles, lion’s mane, black trumpets, and hen-of-the-woods.