Lawrence resident Ryan Gregg has hunted morel mushrooms for more than 30 years, he said. Last year, he collected nearly 1,800 pounds of mushrooms.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Lawrence resident Ryan Gregg, uses a knife to harvest a morel mushroom one evening on a friend's rural property.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Lawrence residents Ryan Gregg and Steve King walk along a trail in search of morel mushrooms. Gregg said he has collected the mushrooms for 30 years and as recently as last year sold to wholesalers.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Ryan Gregg suggests cutting a morel's stem with a knife so as not to disturb the mushroom's mycelium, which is a vegetative layer from which it sprouts.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Ryan Gregg holds a handful of mushrooms he picked in a wooded area.

photo by: Richard Gwin

A decal sticker of the website Ryan Gregg founded in 2010: morelhunters.com.