One of the key habitats for early-season mushroom finding in the Pacific Northwest is with cottonwood trees. Western Washinton has fewer deciduous trees than the east coast, so identification is easier. Our cottonwood species is Populus trichocarpa.
To find black cottonwood, start by finding areas near rivers, streams, and lakes. The leaves of cottonwoods quite different from other common trees in the region. They are smooth, shiny, and heart-shaped.
If you can’t see the leaves either because they are too high, or the tree hasn’t leaved out yet, you can use the texture of the bark and general stature of the tree for identification.
Check out a more thorough guide to cottonwood identification here. At the bottom of the page I included a video demonstrating how I use Google Maps to locate cottonwoods for early-season mushrooms.