I was clearing a brush pile in my yard a few days ago when I spotted–surely that’s a morel? I’d never seen one in person. I ran inside to grab my copy of Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States. Turning to the section on morels, I read closely. The mushroom I’d found fit the description to a T. I scoured my yard and was rewarded with two more morels. I followed the authors’ advice to sautee them in butter with a little garlic. Delicious!