IT’S THAT TIME of the year again when mushrooms sprout all over the East Bay’s wild landscape.
It’s also that time of year for people to keep their hands — and their mouths — off the mushrooms.
East Bay Regional Park District is warning people to stay away from mushrooms during the rainy season, as two kinds found in district parks can be fatal to humans consuming them.
To get an idea of how destructive these mushrooms can be to humans, consider the names.
The death cap (Amanita phalloides) and western destroying angel (Amanita ocreata) are two of the world’s most toxic mushrooms and both appear in the area during the rainy season.
Both mushrooms contain amatoxins, which are molecules that can kill humans and animals.
Symptoms may not appear until 12 hours after consumption. Then the subject can suffer from severe gastrointestinal distress that progresses to kidney and liver failure without immediate treatment.
So not only should humans stay away from the bad mushrooms, but they need to keep their pets away from them as well. The district said if your pet eats either of these toxic mushrooms, contact a veterinarian immediately.
The mushrooms are mainly associated with oak trees and can be found anywhere oak roots are present.
The district says it doesn’t allow people to collect any kind of mushrooms in its parks.
I am become death cap, destroying angel of worlds
The death cap is a medium to large mushroom with a greenish-gray cap, white gills, a white ring around the stem, and a large white sac at the base of the stem.
Although mostly associated with oak trees, it can be found growing with other hardwoods.
The death cap isn’t native to California, being accidentally introduced to North America on the roots of European cork oaks.
The western destroying angel is also a medium to large mushroom with a creamy white cap, white gills, a white ring around the stem that can disappear with age, and a thin white sac at the base.
It fruits from late winter into spring and appears exclusively with oaks. Unlike the death cap, it’s native to California.
Even if people find mushrooms not fitting the descriptions of the death cap or western destroying angel, steering clear of wild mushrooms is a great idea. While those two are responsible for most cases of poisonings in California, deadly toxins are also found in Galerina and Lepiota mushroom species, which also appear in the Bay Area.
More information about toxic mushrooms can be found on the regional park district’s website.
The post Bay Area parks are at ground zero for deadly death caps and destroying angel mushrooms appeared first on Local News Matters.