Honeycomb-patterned cap that is hollow from top to bottom when sliced. One of the most prized spring mushrooms. Must be thoroughly cooked — toxic raw.
Habitat
Cottonwood drainages and disturbed ground at lower elevations (5,500-9,000 ft). Fruits as snowmelt progresses uphill. Often found near dead or dying elm, ash, or cottonwood.
Season Windows by Region
Region
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Ocala National Forest
FL · 20–200 ft
Apalachicola National Forest
FL · 10–300 ft
Myakka / Southwest Florida
FL · 5–100 ft
Foothills / Piedmont Transition
NC · 800–2,500 ft
Western NC Mountains
NC · 2,000–6,684 ft
Daniel Boone NF
KY · 700–2,700 ft
Land Between the Lakes
KY · 350–750 ft
Ozark Highlands
MO · 800–1,772 ft
Missouri River Valley
MO · 500–1,200 ft
Mark Twain National Forest
MO · 600–1,600 ft
Northeast Missouri Prairies
MO · 600–1,000 ft
Monongahela National Forest
WV · 1,500–4,863 ft
New River Gorge
WV · 800–3,200 ft
Shenandoah / Blue Ridge
VA · 1,000–4,049 ft
Southwest Virginia Highlands
VA · 2,000–5,729 ft
Shawnee NF
IL · 350–1,065 ft
Willamette Valley / Columbia Gorge
OR · 200–1,500 ft
Hoosier NF / Brown County
IN · 500–1,050 ft
Olympic Peninsula
WA · 500–4,000 ft
Hocking Hills
OH · 650–1,150 ft
Wayne NF
OH · 600–1,400 ft
Central Cascades / Snoqualmie
WA · 1,500–5,000 ft
Eastern Kansas River Valleys
KS · 750–1,200 ft
Flint Hills
KS · 1,000–1,500 ft
Gifford Pinchot / South Cascades
WA · 1,500–5,500 ft
Mt Hood / North Oregon Cascades
OR · 2,000–5,500 ft
Chattahoochee National Forest
GA · 1,200–4,784 ft
NE Kansas Woodlands
KS · 800–1,300 ft
Great Smoky Mountains
TN · 900–6,643 ft
Cumberland Plateau
TN · 1,000–3,500 ft
Clear Creek Canyon / Mayhem Gulch
5,500–9,000 ft
Gordon Gulch / Nederland
5,500–9,000 ft
Kenosha Pass
5,500–9,000 ft
Vasquez Creek / Winter Park
5,500–9,000 ft
NW IL Driftless
IL · 600–1,200 ft
NE Indiana
IN · 750–1,100 ft
SW Michigan
MI · 580–1,000 ft
Central MI
MI · 700–1,400 ft
Northern Lower Peninsula
MI · 600–1,700 ft
WI Driftless Area
WI · 650–1,700 ft
Central WI
WI · 750–1,400 ft
Eastern IA River Valleys
IA · 550–1,100 ft
Southern IA
IA · 700–1,300 ft
SE MN Driftless
MN · 650–1,350 ft
Central MN
MN · 900–1,500 ft
Catskills / Hudson Valley
NY · 400–4,180 ft
Finger Lakes / Central NY
NY · 500–2,000 ft
Northwest CT Hills
CT · 400–2,380 ft
Arcadia / South County
RI · 0–812 ft
Berkshires / Western MA
MA · 500–3,491 ft
Lakes Region / Southern NH
NH · 300–1,800 ft
Central PA Ridges
PA · 800–2,500 ft
Allegheny National Forest
PA · 1,000–2,300 ft
Pocono Mountains
PA · 800–2,200 ft
Central IL Prairies
IL · 450–850 ft
Central IN
IN · 650–1,050 ft
NE Ohio
OH · 650–1,350 ft
Central Oregon / Deschutes
OR · 3,500–6,000 ft
South Cascades / Klamath
OR · 3,500–7,000 ft
Wallowa Mountains
OR · 3,500–7,000 ft
Blue Mountains
OR · 4,000–6,500 ft
North Cascades
WA · 2,000–6,000 ft
Okanogan Highlands
WA · 3,000–6,000 ft
Royal Gorge / Wet Mountains
6,500–9,000 ft
Clearwater Mountains
ID · 2,500–6,500 ft
Bitterroot / Sapphire
MT · 3,500–8,000 ft
Northern Sierra / Tahoe
CA · 5,000–8,000 ft
South Sierra / El Dorado
CA · 5,000–8,500 ft
Northeast CA / Modoc-Lassen
CA · 4,500–7,500 ft
Gila NF / Black Range
NM · 5,500–9,500 ft
White Mountains / Apache-Sitgreaves
AZ · 7,000–10,500 ft
Coconino / Flagstaff
AZ · 7,000–9,500 ft
Kaibab Plateau / North Rim
AZ · 7,000–9,000 ft
Spring Mountains / Mt Charleston
NV · 6,500–10,000 ft
San Juan NF — Pagosa Corridor
7,500–10,000 ft
San Juan NF — Silverton/Durango
8,000–11,000 ft
Grand Mesa
9,000–10,500 ft
Glenwood Canyon / White River NF
6,500–9,000 ft
Vail / Eagle County
8,000–10,500 ft
Steamboat / Routt NF
7,000–9,500 ft
Pike NF South / Tarryall
7,500–10,000 ft
Santa Fe / Pecos Wilderness
NM · 7,000–11,000 ft
Leadville / Arkansas Headwaters
9,000–11,500 ft
Poudre Canyon / Roosevelt NF
6,500–9,500 ft
Rampart Range / Palmer Divide
7,000–9,000 ft
Upper Peninsula
MI · 600–1,979 ft
Salmon River / Lemhi
ID · 4,500–8,500 ft
Sun Valley / Wood River
ID · 5,500–9,000 ft
Sawtooth / Stanley Basin
ID · 6,000–9,500 ft
Boise Mountains
ID · 4,000–8,000 ft
Gallatin / Madison
MT · 5,500–9,500 ft
Jarbidge Wilderness
NV · 7,000–9,500 ft
Helena / Big Belts
MT · 4,000–7,500 ft
Glacier / Flathead NF
MT · 3,500–7,500 ft
Beartooth / Absaroka
MT · 5,000–10,000 ft
Bridger-Teton / Tetons
WY · 6,000–10,000 ft
Bighorn Mountains
WY · 5,500–10,000 ft
Wind River Range
WY · 7,000–11,000 ft
Absaroka / Shoshone NF
WY · 6,000–10,000 ft
Snake Range / Great Basin
NV · 6,500–10,000 ft
Central Sierra / Alpine
CA · 6,000–9,500 ft
Northern WI
WI · 1,000–1,950 ft
Northern Maine
ME · 500–5,267 ft
Western Maine
ME · 400–4,170 ft
Ruby Mountains
NV · 6,500–9,500 ft
Wasatch Mountains
UT · 5,500–9,500 ft
Uinta Mountains
UT · 7,000–11,000 ft
Manti-La Sal
UT · 6,000–10,000 ft
Acadia / Down East
ME · 0–1,530 ft
White Mountains
NH · 800–6,288 ft
Sangre de Cristo / Carson NF
NM · 7,000–11,000 ft
Northeast Kingdom
VT · 600–3,300 ft
Jemez / Santa Fe NF
NM · 6,500–10,000 ft
Green Mountains
VT · 800–4,393 ft
Jones Pass Road
8,000–11,000 ft
Guanella Pass Corridor
9,000–11,500 ft
Gunnison NF North — Crested Butte
8,500–11,000 ft
Gunnison NF South — Almont/Pitkin
8,000–10,500 ft
Cottonwood Pass
9,000–11,500 ft
Growing Requirements
Min Soil Temp
50°F
Moisture Need
rain 0.5in 3d
Drought Tolerance
high
Elevation Range
0–11,500 ft
Look-Alikes
Gyromitra spp. (False Morel)
DEADLY — contains gyromitrin which converts to monomethylhydrazine (rocket fuel). Brain-like wrinkled cap, NOT honeycomb. Stem is not completely hollow.
Verpa bohemica (Early Morel)
Generally edible but can cause GI issues in some people. Cap hangs like a skirt from the top of the stem; stem is stuffed with cottony fibers, not hollow.
Identification Tips
- ✓Always slice lengthwise — must be completely hollow from cap to stem base
- ✓Never eat raw — contains thermolabile toxins destroyed by cooking
- ✓Follow the snowmelt uphill through the season for extended picking
- ✓Check around dead cottonwoods and recent disturbance sites
Field Notes
True morels (Morchella) are extremely rare in Florida. Occasional reports of M. importuna in landscape mulch in north-central FL. Not a reliable foraging target. Half-free morels (Morchella punctipes) are more likely.
Found True Morel?
Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.
Safety: Never eat any wild mushroom without 100% certain identification from multiple sources. This page is for informational purposes only. When in doubt, throw it out.