Tree Knocks?

May 24, 2025

Last month, Joe and I were up in the Grafton area doing a little foraging. He’d never gone hunting for morels nor had he been given the opportunity to eat those delicious little (or big) morsels. I had been hunting throughout the county any chance I got but wasn’t having much luck. It had been years since I last hunted and no one will ever share their locations! So I wasn’t just foraging for mushrooms, I was foraging for my own “spot”.

Joe and I wandered through the woods, slowly canvassing the area, checking large trees, looking for wash outs, searching for fallen trees and even other types of mushies. But we failed to find the ones we were looking for!!

Joe had only seen the mushrooms after they were picked. He’d never seen one growing on the forest floor. I don’t even know that he’d ever heard of them until I started hunting again a couple weeks earlier. He mentioned to me a few days before that there was a game he’d seen someone play… it was called Bigfoot Life. And later he laughed and yelled from the other end of the house “Bigfoot found mushrooms on Bigfoot life!! Come Look!” And sure enough, they were morels. I laughed and said “that makes sense that he eats morels!”

We searched. And searched. But nothing. So we moved locations and followed a trail.

It was a wide trail with hills and rocks and the trees were just leafing out. The mottled sun bounced on the forest floor as the breeze softly wiggled the tiny leaves above. We wandered off the trail and again, looking for all the ques.

Still, none.

But what we did find was good for us, moss. So much moss!! We call it tree fur or earth fur depending on it location. Pretty sure you can figure that one out. And there was lichen everywhere. Even though Joe doesn’t carry all my loves in life, we share that love for soft green earth fur and lichen!!! Joe even has a little cheer and God forbid I don’t say it in the right timing!

M. O. S. S. - MOSS!!!!

We shuffled through the woods, the sound of crunching leaves beneath our feet and the birds singing all around. At an early point in the journey, I heard Joe say “little did she know…” So I questioned this comment. Little did I know, he was narrating our adventure!!! So I joined in. If we messed up, we’d just end a comment with “Joe said”, “Joes mom exclaimed”, etc. It made it so much more fun. Especially since we had no luck.

Other than the earth fur and the lichen, we did find a little juvenile rat snake. He had the sweetest little face with big puppy dog eyes. We didn’t disturb him. Just said our hellos as we paused to watch him slowly move through the leaves. Such a precious little creature.

Shortly after that as we continued down the hill, the area was thickening with growth and I suddenly got an uneasy feeling. Not sure why. It happens sometimes. So I just said, I think we need to go back up the hill and backtrack a little. So on up we went, still no luck.

We finally kinda threw our hands up. At least if the mushrooms were going to be that evasive, we’d steal the time to get a decent hike in and take in the whole forest - not just the floor. So back on the trail we went.

We stopped often to look at flowers and moss and rocky spots of interest and continued narrating our lives. And then eventually, we turned around to head back. As we walked along the trail getting to the end of our journey, I chatted with my husband, Nick, about our little adventure and I told him we were heading home soon.

The moment, I said “goodbye”, I saw a morel and immediately yelled “there’s one!!” as I hit end call.

Joe and I ran to it. And stood there kinda shocked that we finally found one. FINALLY!!

We stood and examined it a bit before we pinched it from the ground. It was growing in a soft, damp, bare dirt patch by a large tree right off the trail. After that one was plucked, we began searching that area hard!! Joe yelled “there’s one” and then we found another. It was so exciting for him to finally find one of his own!

After about 20 min of scanning the area, we began to head back again.

I took about 5 steps when I heard Joe whisper loudly “mom!! Mom!!!”

I turned to say “what?” only to find him standing sideways on the trail, leaning to one side and putting his finger to his lips to hush me as he made a knocking motion. I didn’t understand at first but with his reapeated motion and growing excitement and the little gleam in his eyes, he whispered “tree knocks!”

I stopped and listened and he nodded eagerly as I heard it too. It was coming from the direction we had been.

I said “that’s gotta be a woodpecker…. But it doesn’t sound like a woodpecker”

We heard it again. This time I pulled my phone out to record the sound.

We stood there for a bit. But with that sound in question, we, once again, turned to head back. Quickly this time. But the moment we began to go, the knocking stopped.