The Copper Country has gotten it's fair share of snow this year -- with a few more flakes to fall before it's all said and done. This white gold keeps us Yoopers busy moving it AND playing in it. Some folks stave off cabin fever by building snowmen or snow statues, Mother Nature sculpts her own snow mushroom here! Dennis Kemper spotted this masterpiece, which wouldn't even be considered photographic, if it wasn't capped off with that mound of fluff! Yep, I guess you could say the snow makes ordinary things more appealing.

That reminds me, only a couple more months to go, then the morels will be popping up. Better dig out my mushroom picking cap!

10:16 a.m. and I am the first post! Where have all the people gone? Was amazed the first time I saw "snow mushrooms" along I 75 between St. Ignace and the Soo! 21 degrees here in the Saginaw Valley, but spring is getting closer.

Considering the amount of snow that the UP
has received this year that is one huge snow
mushroom, must be close to 24" deep. Enjoy
it now for the melt down is comming. Always
enjoy my daily fix here...

I saw the Nimrods off this morning. Dale Jenkins has packed his blaze orange hat and coat, and is ready to sing on Jay Leno.

I wish morels grew that big. (or do they?) ;<)

By bobby, VA on Saturday, March 13, 2004 - 11:19 am:

If morels grew that big, they would probably serve them at the Hiltop in L'Anse. :-)

In honor of the NIMRODS I plan to play during a
church service offertory tomorrow Edward Elgar's 9th variation from his "Enigma Variations." It's called "Nimrod."

I believe what we have here is a giant snow mushroom. (Kerexius weenahn delishinex) It is very unusual to see one out in the open. They are most often found buried in deep snow along snowmobile trails. They don't like Kawasaki's and will pop up under these machines, throwing them off the trail into a deep drift. Being rather fragile, the mushroom is usually obliterated in the collision so the rider has no idea what caused him/her to be tossed onto his/her kiester into the snow bank. They don't seem to mind Artic Cats or Ski Doo's though, unless the riders of these machines have stopped to "make yellow snow" in their vicinity. They will then sometimes give off a noxious odor not unlike that of a skunk (stinkius kittium) which will cause the snowmobile engine to seize up.

This variety of mushroom is delicious cooked in butter but care must be taken to use a very low flame as the mushroom slice has a tendency to melt if cooked over high heat. Very tasty though, served with chicken lips.

Looks like morels CAN grow quite big -- at least according to Frederic Koski over in the Pasty Gallery. ;-)

Dennis, good eye! Great picture!

Down State Dave: you are a hoot. Can't wait to see what you're gonna say about Frederic Koski's morels!

Hey maijaMI -- There is a moral to those morels but I wooden wanna say what it is!

Actually, I think what Mr. Koski has found is a snow mushroom that has dried out. As previously mentioned, snow mushrooms are typically found buried in snow banks. When the snow melts in the spring, the mushrooms dehydrate, leaving a plant that very strongly suggests a morel. They are edible but have a rather woody texture and flavor.;>)

Looking forward to watching Jay Leno on Monday to see the Fighting Nimrods. A week ago Sunday I happened to be watching CBS Sunday Morning when they aired the story about the Nimrods. It was great and quite a pleasant surprise! Our prayers are out to them for a safe journey and a wonderful experience. All Yoopers should be so proud of them!

Cool Pic! Had a few of those mushrooms in my parents back yard in Kearsarge.

Dennis, Nice close-up of the "snow mushroom"

As a future resident of the UP, I believe it is my duty to know:
"Who are the Fighting Nimrods?"

I heard somewhere that people will harvest as many pounds of morels as they can, then they will freeze them. Then in the winter, they'll post the morels on sale on Ebay, and I heard that a pound of morels fetched $100 on Ebay once.

Wow I cannot believe all that snow. I am glad I will be visiting Good Ole Dad in sunny Green Valley, Arizona next week.

-Lisa Faller

Say, that looks like a chimney. Please tell me it's not on someone's roof! lol

Those pesky snow morels must be what threw my Polaris into a buried state on the side of the trail back in 1988. I was going along there in the Keewenaw and suddenly the snow was up to my chin as I was driving.

Grant

Mushrooms anybody?

JAMES SNELLER-CAMPBELLSPORT,WI.I WAS BORN & RAISED IN THE CALUMET LAURIUM AREA.I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS WEB SITE FROM GERRY LOKOJARVI FROM RIPLY,IN FACT I JUST GOT BACK FROM UP IN THE UP FOR A SHORT VIST,I NEED TO MOVE BACK UP THERE, THERE IS NO PLACE BETTER THEN THE UP!!ANYWAY, MAYBE SOMEDAY,THIS IS A GREAT SITE,I'LL HAVE TO CHECK IT EVERYTIME I GET ON THE COMPUTER. WHEN I GO UP NORTH I STAY ON THE FARM JUST EAST OF LAURIUM,YOU KNOW,GOTTA HAVE A "GOOD OLD SAUNA " THE FARM IS IN OLD COLONY. I JUST LOVE IT THERE !! TAKE CARE, GREAT SITE !!!! : )

Ahh the backyard burn barrel. Such specimens of incineration are the modus operandi for refuse in many UP abodes indeed. Lack of operation has resulted in a crystalline adornment in this case. Kudos on the fine shot.

Wheatman

This is off topic, but,

Final score, MHSAA Division I Championship:

Marquette 3
Detroit Catholic Central 2

How's that for small town beats big city? -;)

http://www.mhsaa.com/games/sports/hock/2004d1final.htm

has the line score.

P.S. Tech is leading #1 North Dakota after two periods, 3-1!!

Ain't the Internet wonderful?

Hei,Wheatman, you're right! It IS a burning barrel. It ain't that I'm blind, I just can't see. :>)
Fran, Cornell is about 15 miles or so NW of Escanaba. Or maybe 150 miles south and east of Houghton.

Hey you Upper Michiganders! My name is Terri and I live in the great state of Texas!!!! ........ If the people in Texas saw a mushroom growing out of the ground that size - it sure wouldn't be growing out of the snow. A big Texas Cow would have had to fertilize it!!! And they say everything in Texas is bigger........ NOT THE SHROOMS! Anyway........ when James Sneller moves up there.... (He posted a few mins ago on here) take care of him! Good as gold, I tell you. We're related..... in a funny way. He's the man who taught me how to make "Pastys",,, Texans don't know what those are. Send us some of them Texas sized musrooms...... will 'ya? See 'yall later. Take care.
Terri Pavlicek - Columbus, Texas.

Hey Fred, great pictures from the club. There is a morel that big??? Interesting, see you in June.

Thanks Jesse, I wish they got that big, the whites can get pretty good size but not THAT big.
The above pic is a computer enlarged black morel.

I found a similar photo-op down near Bete Gris. Looks like Mother nature is playing dress-up.