They can be found behind a lush fern, among carpets of moss or even by a road. And they tempt young and old alike to look near and far for them.

They are mushrooms.

Hunting fungi is just delightful, Skip Klingensmith of Holmes County said. It's a very tasty morsel and runs in the family culture of a lot of people.

That certainly is the case of Shelley Head, a mushroom hunter of 30 years.

I usually go out the first time with my dad, she said. Then we take the whole family out. It's something my grandfather did. And now we do it. As a kid, it was a fascination - the thrill of the hunt. And just to be included, that meant a lot.

Taking her father's words of wisdom, fallen ash trees and grapevine groves are the first spots Head looks for mushrooms.

Larry Snow of Butler in Richland County enjoys hunting for mushrooms regularly with his brother. Occasionally, he will take his wife and three children on the day-long outings. He said the best times to hunt are April and early May and briefly in the fall.

When you're mushroom hunting, it's all about timing, he said. It's too warm in the summer, which is why they only come up in the spring and fall. You have to have moisture just right, have to have heat just right, have to have the tree just right.

The rules of mushroom hunting are simple, Klingensmith said: Never tell anyone where your favorite spot is and watch what you pick.

There are old mushroom hunters and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters, Klingensmith said.

Obviously, knowing your mushrooms is important, said Ron Becker, program assistant in agriculture and integrated pest management for Ohio State University Extension Service. An investment of about $10 in the Simon and Schuster mushroom guide gives a hunter good descriptions, pictures and comparisons of similar-looking mushrooms, he said.

The best advice I can give is to learn the type of mushroom you would like to hunt, learn about it and hunt that type, Becker said.

(Ohio State University Extension Service offers a fact sheet on edible mushrooms. To request a copy, call 330-264-8722.)

Veteran mushroom hunters will tell you that dying elm and ash trees are the roadmaps to a moist spot for flourishing fungi. Near apple trees or heavily wooded areas, the reward can be found in a mushroom from - to 1-inch in height to one that towers to about 18 inches, according to Klingensmith.

Said Becker, Any sites are capable of producing the mushrooms with the proper moisture and plenty or organic matter to decompose. It's just wherever the spore happens to build.

The production of what is called mycelium is what attracts spores to an area, according to Becker.

Fallen branches, rooting mass, fallen fruit - the spores will be feeding off of these decaying matters, he said.

Becker said he has seen sponge mushrooms produced in mulch bags that were sitting for a time.

Local people will tell you some of the ideal conditions, but will not usually reveal their favorite spots, Becker said. I would urge mushroom hunters to always be courteous to the owners of the property and ask permission if needed.

Mushroom hunting not only is fun, it can be profitable, as Klingensmith said that at a recent homegrown-produce auction in Mount Hope, yellow sponge mushrooms went for $34 a pound.

What is the best way to enjoy a mushroom once it is picked?

Klingensmith advised soaking the mushrooms to get the protein (bugs) out and then slicing them. Using an egg-and-flour mixture, he rolls the mushrooms and fries them.

Head prefers rolling mushrooms in flour and frying them with salt and pepper, while Snow likes to squeeze all of the excess water from mushrooms, roll them in flour and then fry them in butter and olive oil. One of Snow's favorite meals is morels with macaroni and cheese (not mixed up) and omelets with them either in them or on the side.

Andrea Y. Finefrock is a Wooster-based freelance writer. In addition to Amish Heartland, her work has appeared in Ohio Family, the North Central Business Journal, the Medina and Orrville community guides and Wooster, Ohio Welcomes You. Staff writer Ryan Maurer contributed to this report.

For more information about mushrooms, consult the following websites:

www.webstarnet.com/morel: The National Morel Hunters Association website. (June 1999 Edition)