The Morel needs little introduction. Long an item of diligent pursuit, many a family has collected morels as a part of a long standing outdoor tradition. The pitted, tan caps, and irregularly wrinkled stalks are almost unmistakable. In the Southwest this species is almost exclusively found under cottonwood. It fruits rather early (April) in our area, but I have found it growing with the Black Morel (Morchella elata), always under cottonwood, in the foothills of the Southwestern mountains in late May.
    A closely related species is Morchella crassipes. This huge "steriod" morel is very uncommon in New Mexico, but I have found it along streams under sycamore and cottonwood or willow and cottonwood, in the southern part of our state. It may be simply a robust form of Morchella esculenta, but it can reach the dimensions (if not the weight) of Gyromitra gigas, the Snowbank False Morel.
    The "blond" morel is the most sought after in New Mexico. A species of the cottonwood bosques along various streams in the state, it puts in a relatively short lived appearance in early to mid April, though its fruitings vary considerably from year to year. Unlike the Pacific Coast and Eastern states, we rarely get a bumper crop, as certain conditions have to be met to insure success. First, we need a relatively wet winter with ample snow in the mountains. We then need a good rain or sleeting rain mix in March as well. Meeting these contitions could insure a good crop. However, a lack of rain in April can significantly lessen the opportunity for success. As the natives know, what we usually get is a dry cold winter, a windy cold March, and no rain in April.