Foraging season begins in Leelanau

As spring settles across northern Michigan, morel hunters and foragers are once again scanning forest floors, peering beneath leaves and around bases of trees in search of one of the season’s most prized foods.

Foraging is part science and part treasure hunt, or as certified forager Mike Campbell puts it, “to me, it’s a walk in the woods. If I happen to find what I’m looking for, then that’s just a bonus.”

After more than 25 years of foraging across Michigan, Campbell said the practice is less about certainty and more about attention — reading conditions in the landscape and understanding how species respond to the weather.