Morel mushrooms are prepared for eating in May 2024 in Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

After a slow start, Iowa morel mushroom hunters are encouraged by recent rains.

Showers drenched most of the state over Easter on April 20, after a relatively dry spring.

Posting photos on Facebook of their mushroom finds — many just an inch or so in size — members of Morel Hunters of Iowa noted that the rain should help in the coming days.

In 2024, morel hunters were already finding the spongelike rarities in mid-March, though the season extended into May, while this year, mushroom finds began picking up in mid-April, starting in southern Iowa.

A map on Iowa Morel Report on Facebook showed about 40 counties with morel reports as of April 20, 2025.

Bluebells in bloom are considered an indicator for the start of morel mushroom season. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

Some morel hunters head to the woods when lilacs begin to bloom, or when wildflowers bloom, such as bluebells, trillium and bloodroot, and perennial hosta emerge. Many of those benchmarks have been reached in east-central Iowa.

Soil temperatures of 50 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit are said to be ideal for the mushrooms to make their annual appearance. View the current soil temps for Iowa and Nebraska.

As of this weekend, much of Iowa had reached that mark.

For those interested in hunting their own morels, check out this list of tips.