A lot of the westside morels are false morels. An early morel, verba bohemica, is commonly found around cottonwoods. I have gathered them and eaten them, but quit after I found out that they contain a toxin requiring par boiling to neutralize. Neither my wife, nor I cared much for the taste of false morels. Here's a video that shows the difference between a true morel and the false morel found around here.