This collection was created in Spring of this year, during a long cold snowy season that persisted on lingering around until May. The snow just kept coming down, adding to the dirty and spent piles all covering the wildflowers and plants I could only dream of eventually seeing. Seasons seem to be stretching further back into the year- as does my seasonal depression.

But nothing quite snaps me out of it like the first whispers of the morels being out. It’s a combination of the competition with the other pickers, the warmer weather, the narrow picking windows, and the intense urge to satiate my year long morel cravings. There’s nothing quite like finding a good patch of morels.

Once I find them I have to act fast: I have to snap some shots of them to use as reference for my art, with the intention of coming back a day or two later to pose the finished product next to them. I want those mushrooms to be in the photos, but I also desperately want to eat them. And so do the springtails. And everyone else. And I have to be careful that I don’t let them over ripen. So it’s me vs the worms vs the other pickers, and of course the lifespan of the mushroom- time is of the essence!

This gallery is a celebration of spring and morels; kicking my tail into gear for the season, and the tailed critters that also enjoy the hunt.

There are some pieces in here that have been burned on a polypore mushroom- check out my shelf mushroom gallery for more info on these unique pieces.