# Morels around cottonwoods?



## the shroominator

Just curious if anyone has ever found morels around cottonwoods. Me personally no but ppl in other states sure have. Chime in Ohioans!


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## cooley

I seen that too about cottonwoods I'm going to check some out this year. The Mushroom King has videos out on YouTube finding them around cottonwood.


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## the shroominator

That's who I'm talkin bout! Lol. Seems pretty interesting and here in northeast Ohio we have a lot of cottonwoods


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## cooley

They find them out in the river bottoms where cottonwoods are plentiful. I found some dead cottonwoods that were very large and limbs fallen to the ground but it was so dry out last year I did not find any around them. I will pay closer attention to them this year and others near me. Where in NE are you at?


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## the shroominator

Portage/summit county Cooley. Where are you. I think I remember from other posts that you're up this way also.


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## cooley

Trumbull ....


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## the shroominator

Any luck finding blacks last season?


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## cooley

No I didn't find any blacks as a matter of fact I had a really bad year in 2015


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## jim33

I have wondered the exact same thing, and for the last couple years I have been paying attention to the Cottonwood trees after I picked up on the massive flushes other states have around them. So far no luck for me. This year I plan to spend more time around the rivers around here to put a little more time into looking around the Cottonwoods. I do have luck with a number of Sycamore trees, usually towards the very end of the season.


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## cooley

Jim33 I heard that too about Sycamores, did you have a good year last year?


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## jdk32581

Sycamore trees are everywhere near me. I tried to look around them last year and there were stinging nettles surrounding the area, terrible when you charge in and don't notice until its too late. Most around me are on flat wide riverbanks with sandy soil. Lotsa cottonwoods too.

Any tips Jim?


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## the shroominator

I didn't have a very good year last year either. Too dry n hot. I've found them around sycamores in southern/central Ohio but never really looked up here. Perhaps KSUshroomer or another member here may have some insight on sycamores in north east ohio


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## morelmaniac96

I have hunted cottonwoods for years now. The cottowood will normally explode with morels for a year or two then completely peter out. I found 200+ around a cottonwood that was harvested the year before. Came back the year after my large find to have 1 pop out.


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## jdk32581

Maniac, was t this in Ohio ?


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## jim33

cooley, last year wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't the worst for me either. I think last year was on track to be really good, but then, bam it got too cold after the morels had started here. I found a lot of stunted mushrooms last year so I can only imagine how many I didn't see. 

jdk32581, the sandy dark soil is there with the sycamores that I find morels under, but the other common factor is a THICK leaf blanket under these tree's. I don't know if that is part of the reasons for the mushrooms liking it there but it's just something I have noticed. I do think the leaf cover(and the large canopy) is responsible for making the ground warm up slower around the sycamores and that's why those spots are the last places I typically find morels every year(Its a bummer when I see them under the sycamores because I know what is coming and that it's ending fast). The great thing about the Sycamores I have found, is that they flush about a dozen mushrooms every year(good or bad years).


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## jdk32581

Thanks Jim 
You mean leaf cover as in dead leaves on the ground not green leaves of shrubbery around the trees right ?
Those big ole sycamores do have some giant leaves. They probably are consistent every year because there is always moisture down there even in a drier year . I have also read that deep river valleys / ravines trap cool air and keep temperature down until later in the season .

Thanks again


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## morelmaniac96

I'm in Missouri. Hunt cottonwoods in river bottoms.


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## ant

Ive done great under Sycamores.But as stated thats about the end of the morel season.


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## the shroominator

Thanks to all for the replies! You've all given me some new aspects of morel hunting to expound on.


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## jim33

No problem jdk32581. Yes that's exactly what I was meaning, the dead leaves on the ground.

Do you guys find morels under live or dead cottonwoods? Thanks for everyone's replies. Great thread.


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## trapperjon

Checked a large cotton wood patch yesterday, nothing yet. I'm hoping last night's rain has them popping, summit CO,


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## timbucktoo

Checked a bunch of Conntoneoods along a river bank in Cuyahoga Co. Yesterday afternoon. Nothing yet.


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## buckeyebowman

More and more I've come to believe that morels grow wherever the hell they want! Yes, I find most of mine around dead elms, and around apple trees. But that could be because that's where I look for them! In Kuo's book he talks about a really bad year where he searched an entire ridge, and finally found a yellow growing at the base of a red oak with not an elm, apple, ash, poplar, cottonwood, sycamore, or tulip tree anywhere in sight!


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## the shroominator

So true buckeye! Sometimes no matter how hard you try to figure it out there's just no rhyme or reason to where you find them other than the fact that it's there. Mysterious little buggers!! But that's part of the allure is the mystique of the magical morel


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## buckeyebowman

Exactly, shroominator! It was just 4 years ago I began hunting for morels. I walked my legs off and found nothing, until one day very late in the season, when I found about a dozen dried up, old yellows around a dead elm. Then I learned about the apple tree connection and had a decent year. Then I heard about cottonwoods, poplar, tulip tree and sycamore. There's no way any of us can hike all the square yards of territory out there, although if my legs held up I might try! You have to "pick your spots and call your shots"! 

One thing that morel hunting has taught me is to keep my eyes open! I've found a whole bunch of different shrooms simply because I was aware, and looking!


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## spanks42000

I find them by cottonwoods all the time in Northern Ohio.


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