#deadly mushrooms

[rebeccathenaturalist]

*deep breath* This, folks, is EXACTLY why I am writing The Everyday Naturalist. Because it's not enough to have an app. You HAVE to know how to use multiple identification tools and have keen observational skills if you are going to safely forage or otherwise identify things in nature.

Here's the deal. Apps are a tool. They are not infallible, and they should never, ever, EVER be your only tool for identifying mushrooms and other organisms. This goes even moreso for when you're trying to determine whether something is edible or not. I go into more detail about why apps should never be used by themselves in this article that I wrote a few months back, but let's explore a bit more about how an app works.

Any identification app has access to a particular database of pictures and other information for various species. In the case of my favorite app, iNaturalist, it draws from the over 156 million (and growing) observations of animals, plants, fungi, and other living beings that have been uploaded to it over the years.

When you upload a photo to an app, your phone usually inputs the date, time, and GPS location automatically, though these can be updated manually if need be. Then the app's algorithms sift through the database looking for species that are found in the same location at the same time of year, and which have similar photos.

Notice that I said SIMILAR, not identical. Many organisms, to include many fungi, have varying appearances based on subspecies, life stage, and other factors. And there are a lot of species that have close lookalikes, whether we're talking birds, wildflowers, mushrooms, etc.

So the algorithms then use their search results to give you their suggestion(s) of what most closely resembles the organism you are trying to identify. Some give you one answer; others, like iNaturalist, offer you a list to choose from, and may also qualify their response with "We're not sure, but these were found nearby" or something similar. The first one on the list is NOT always going to be the correct answer. However, the app doesn't have reasoning skills, and all it can do is play match-up and then produce suggestions based on that. (Yes, other iNaturalist users can come along and comment on your observations once you've uploaded and saved them, but you always want to carefully assess their claims, too.)

There are several toxic mushrooms that are implicated in poisonings on a regular basis; among them are what I call the "deadly Amanitas": the death cap (Amanita phalloides) and the destroying angels (A. bisporigera, A. ocreata, and A. verna.) In addition to these species' respective native ranges in Europe and North America, some have managed to make their way to other parts of the world. This includes in Australia, where there is a current investigation underway over a woman who fed several family members deadly Amanitas, three of whom have died.

These poisonous mushrooms have several edible lookalikes. As one example, while matsutakes (Tricholoma matsutake) are often brown, they may sometimes appear white, especially if the brown layer has peeled off. And field mushrooms (Agaricus spp, especially A. bisporus and A. campestris) are also large white mushrooms, though their gills and spores tend to be brown rather than the white of Amanita species.

Still, someone taking a picture of a large white mushroom--especially if they neglect to take another picture of the gills (the more pictures you take, the better)--could easily end up with an app telling them an Amanita is an Agaricus. Or they might read that some people think it's safe to eat Amanita muscaria if you parboil it long enough, and assume that other Amanita species are the same way (one of MANY reasons I do not advocate for treating A. muscaria as an edible.)

So--again--DO NOT USE APPS AS YOUR ONLY ID TOOL. Use them in conjunction with multiple field guides, websites, other foragers, etc. Practice using these tools and developing a critical eye before you go out foraging. Be super cautious, and when in doubt, throw it out.

And my inbox is ALWAYS open, as is my email (rebeccathenaturalist(at)gmail(dot)com.) You can ALWAYS email me with questions about field guides, apps, and other resources, and I am also happy to look at pictures of mushrooms (and other living beings) you're trying to identify, whether edible or not. You might need to give me a few days to reply, but I will get back to you. Don't use ME as your only source, either; I'm just one person. But I can point you to online groups that are also good resources.

#mushrooms #mushroom poisoning #deadly mushrooms #fungus #fungi #mycology #mushroom hunting #mushroom foraging #foraging #wild foods #edible mushrooms #nature #nature identification #naturalist #The Everyday Naturalist

[memoriesofthepark]

Eastern NA Destroying angel 》 Amanita bisporigera

Famous as some of the most toxic mushrooms currently described, the Destroying Angel name is shared by four species of white amanita mushrooms, the most popularly known being A. virosa, a species common in Europe.

A. verna also occurs in Europe but in the springtime, rather than the autumn as A. virosa does. A. ocreata is also known as the Western North American destroying angel. A. bisporigera (pictured here) occurs in eastern North America and south into Mexico.

While no harm can come from simply handling these deadly mushrooms, consuming a piece about the size of your thumbnail would likely be enough to kill you.

I've always been intrigued by these species and was very happy to find these specimens!! The name alone, I mean come on. Metal af! 🤍

Southeast Texas, 24 Dec. 2023

#amatuer mycology #mushroom hunting #mushrooms #mycology #wild fungi #fungi #mushrooms of texas #texas mushrooms #fungi of texas #fungarium #foraging #mushroom species #wild mushrooms #mushroom #species identification #destroying angel #angel of death #deadly mushrooms #toxic mushrooms #special interest #amanita

[snowgall]

posted by heyMAKWA on twitter, Aug 17, 2023:

i'm not going to link any of them here, for a variety of reasons, but please be aware of what is probably the deadliest AI scam i've ever heard of:

plant and fungi foraging guide books. the authors are invented, their credentials are invented, and their species IDs will kill you

#ai scams #deadly mushrooms #mushroom identification #fungi #edible vs nonedible #they can look identical #sounds like potential criminally negligent homicide to me #but I am not a lawyer #twitter #heymakwa #image description #my post

[mannlibrary]

Mushroom images taken from, Minnesota mushrooms: Minnesota Plant Studies. 1910. Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota Frederic E. Clements, State Botanist. https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/170800

#mushrooms #mushroom #mycology #mycelium #botany #botanist #botany drawing #botany illustration #textbook illustration #vintage textbook #plant studies #plant science #poisonous plants #plants #plantlife #deadly #deadly mushrooms #poisonous fungi #poisonous mushrooms #Poison #amanita muscaria #collvbia velutipes #toxic #toxic plants

[dippitydodaday]

#deadly mushrooms #mushrooms #fungus #mushroom stim #stim

[worldstop10]

Ten of The Most Poisonous Mushrooms From Around The World

New Post - Ten of The Most Poisonous Mushrooms From Around The World

In March 2022, a hiker’s body was located in a river in Washington State after she and a friend took what was believed to be Psychedelic mushrooms while out on Wallace Falls Trail. Alisonstar Molaf is just one in thousands of victims who suffer life-threatening consequences and sometimes die after taking mushrooms. Over 5700 cases of mycetism (mushroom poisoning) were reported in the US in 2019,…

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#dangerous mushroom #dangerous mushrooms #deadly mushroom #deadly mushrooms

[jadafitch]

DANGEROUS STUFF!

For Halloween, a pattern of some of the most poisonous, venomous & toxic plants & animals in the world... geographic cone snail, poison fire coral fungi, golden dart frog, voodoo lily, castor bean plant, deathstalker scorpion, deadly nightshade, Brazilian wandering spider, lily of the valley, oleander, redback spider, banded krait, autumn skullcap, diamondback rattlesnake, death cap, angel's trumpets, stonefish, poison hemlock, box jelly, blue-ringed octopus.

Prints, Tees & More

#poison #poisonous #toxic #venomous #deadly #dangeroud #danger #halloween #orange #red #pattern #repeating pattern #plants and animals #snakes and spiders #mushrooms #flora and fauna #illustration #art #design #drawing #monochromatic #jada fitch #happy halloween #botanical #floral #nature #naturalist #spooky

[lucie-lagarde]

Sometimes, my brain just completely fucked up everything... Trying to sleep at 3AM and then this happened...

I spend way to much time on this but damn I am proud of my stupidity sometimes !

#Duck #darkwing duck #Gosalyn Mallard #Drake Mallard #au #ducktales #duckverse #the last of us #tlou #ellie williams #joel miller #hbo serie #Fanart #drawing #digital art #digital painting #stupid brain #deadly mushroom #the last of ducks

[lost-fool-wandering]

Ah well... its the mostly inedible kind :/

Ucháč obecný / Gyromitra esculenta

-L.F.

#mushroom #mushrooms #fungi #my photography #we take mushroom hunting very seriously in this house #when i say mostly inedible i also mean mostly toxic #deadliness depending on the area and preparation

[wyldefungi]

#fungi #fantastic fungi #mycology #mushrooms #fungus #not a fan #deadly super fungus? of course that’s next #super fungus; deadly #see ya’ll #last of us

[honesttoglob]

I feel like Steve and Frances would be friends. Just like,,,, buds. Pals. They meet to play chess out in Central Park every weekend and Steve wins most of the time but it's only because he eats Frances' pieces when she isn't looking and she's way too high to keep track of his strategy.

#bigtop burger #btb steve #btb frances #She just seems like she'd be really tolerant and even encouraging of weirdness #They give me an iroh and toph vibe #Or like an ice king and marceline vibe #Two bros #Two pals #Being buds #buddies #They go foraging for mushrooms in the woods together #Whatever mushrooms Steve collects she has to take from him because he tries to eat them instantly #While she has a recipe she wants to make with them #He eats the poisonous ones behind her back because they're extra tasty and prettier #Sometimes she points out the poisonous ones only to look back a minute later and she that they're gone and she's like #STEVE DID YOU EAT THAT? I TOLD YOU ITS POISON! #And he's like “Nooooo! Of course not!” #While his mouth is clearly full of deadly mushrooms

[deer-knight]

destroying angel mushroom - amanita virosa

found in north america and europe, this elegant mushroom is deadly if consumed. supposedly smells sweet, like wilted roses.

[image description: a photo of a destroying angel mushroom growing on the damp forest floor surrounded by dead leaves. it is an all-white mushroom with a smooth, irregular truncated cone shaped cap and a slightly fluffy looking stem with a ruffled skirt-shaped ring just below the cap. end image description.]

#destroying angel #mushroom #rangercore #deadly mushroom #amanita virosa #adventurecore

[balkanradfem]

please for your own good STOP eating mushrooms you cannot identify with 100% certainty. any forager worth anything will tell you you need to go foraging with an expert from your area (easily found via fb groups) to ensure you dont poison yourself. like seriously. genuinely confused why you keep posting ‘hm this mushroom is poisonous in the tips maybe but i cut them off but oh weird this soup tasted bad’ like STOP. dont fucking hurt yourself!

But it's not deadly or dangerous, the most that one could do is make me throw up, people get drunk to the point of throwing up :/

I didn't eat a lot of it anyway, just a few little pieces, and now I know it's not poisonous for sure. I don't trust a stranger to be in a forest with me alone, and I have to learn somehow.

#i got yelled at #for my mushroom tendencies #climbing trees proved more detrimental than trying out mushrooms really #i've never gotten actually poisoned on a mushroom #learning about nature means sometimes you get poisoned a little #i keep track of what species are deadly so i won't die :)

[nonbinary-niki-bog]

why is the case on Death Cap mushrooms so interesting right now? probably because of the fact that no one knows anything and it has intrigue.

#niki rambles ☔️ #deadly mushroom case

[itslookingback]

you know how alexythemia is and can sometimes feel like a paralysis of emotions even if you're feeling overwhelmingly positive ones? yeah so that's me right now because today i saw a destroying angel mushroom outside. everything feels stopped in a sort of good way but i'm not too sure. i saw 2 of them and they were both pretty young and i think i would have spent the whole day there if i could but i didn't and now i am just sitting on the floor with a lot of adrenalin and thinking about the mushrooms that i saw

#if you don't know about the relationship between me and the destroying angel: #we're besties. #it's the mushroom that got me into fungi and biology special interest #it's my favourite fungus ever #it's the most deadly #i was really obsessed with it in 2021 #if i saw it in 2021 i would have cried #i almost cried #blue squawks #i didnt like fungi at first but now theyre growing on me #destroying angel

[fidel-guevara]

psilocybin mushrooms (penis envy)

#this shit looks DEADLY #idk when ima take them #i just wanted to have some in case i ever do feel like it #psilocybin mushrooms #we tryna fix this brain #penis envy #fiction (dreams in digital) #vapor transmission