Morels grow in a variety of habitats, typically favoring well-drained soil in wooded areas. They are commonly found:
- On the ground in copses, woodlands, and hedgerows with well-drained soil
- Under certain types of trees such as sycamores, cottonwoods, tulip poplars, oaks, elms, and apple trees. These trees often grow in floodplains, riverbanks, or areas where the soil has been disturbed by water or erosion
- In temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere including North America, Turkey, China, the Himalayas, India, and Pakistan
- In both deciduous forests (for yellow morels) and coniferous forests or recently burned areas (for black morels)
- Along creek banks and riverbanks where the soil is moist but not soggy
- Near dead or dying trees, fallen logs, or downed limbs, which provide ideal conditions for morels to grow
Morels prefer microclimates with the right trees, humidity, temperature, and leaf cover, often appearing in spring (March to May) in these habitats
. They are also known to fruit in disturbed or burned forest areas, especially some black morel species
. In summary, look for morels in temperate woodlands with well-drained soil, especially near specific trees like sycamores, cottonwoods, tulip poplars, and oaks, along riverbanks, and around dead or dying trees
