Who says it’s too early to find fungus?

Most years, April 17 would be too soon to find morels in Eastern Iowa, but not this year. High temperatures near 80 for most of this week have warmed the soil well above the 55 degrees needed for fruiting of the tasty fungi, and a seven-day forecast with highs in the mid-60s favors morel growth. If you can't find experts to take you to their secret spots, try these tips:

• Morels pop first in the warmest soil, so look near the tops of south-facing slopes or at the south edge of flat timbers.

• Morels have a strong affinity for dead elm trees, the larger and more recently deceased the better.

• Pay special attention to areas traumatized by fire or logging.

• While many people hunt in state and county parks, few reach areas farthest from roads and trails.

• The earliest arriving small gray morels blend easily with leaf litter on the forest floor, so look at photos beforehand to fix an image in your mind's eye. Keep changing your perspective: A morel that's invisible from one angle can be obvious from another.

• Cut or tear the mushroom above the ground. Doing so will keep your mushrooms cleaner, without disturbing the underground hyphae, which will produce more mushrooms later.

• For a reading on soil temperature in your area, go to http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/NPKnowledge/soiltemphistory.html