Mushroom Poisoning If you suspect you have consumed a poisonous mushroom, call 911. Then go to the Emergency Department, and call Poison Control: 1-800.222.1222 Galerina marginata group. Photo by Christian Schwarz Emergency Procedures If you suspect you have consumed a poisonous mushroom: Call 911 Go to the Emergency Department Call Poison Control @ 1-800.222.1222 Call toll-free 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, with poison-related questions or help in California. Santa Cruz Area Hospitals Watsonville Community Hospital : (831) 724-4741 Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz : (831) 462-7700 Dominican Hospital and Watsonville Hospital keep a list of contacts to help with identification of suspect fungi. Some hospitals have engaged in clinical trials for the immediate treatment of amatoxin mushroom poisonings. Call 911 and talk to a doctor to determine the best course of action if you suspect you or someone you know may have been poisoned. Bring the Mushroom With You If you believe a mushroom poisoning has occurred, the doctors will need to identify the mushroom so they can determine the most appropriate treatment. For an accurate identification, your best chance is to bring a sample of the mushroom with you. The more complete your specimen is, the better chance to ID it correctly. A complete specimen consists of the cap, stem, bottom of the mushroom and any roots or fluff that may have been part of the mushroom at one time. Store the specimen in a paper or waxed paper bag (not plastic) in the refrigerator until needed. Note where the mushrooms were collected in case of potential contamination by pesticides or heavy metals from lawns, roadsides or industrial areas. Non-Emergency Recommendations There is an old saying that “There are old mushroom hunters, and bold mushroom hunters. But there are no old, bold mushroom hunters.” Bit of exaggeration? Sure. But it’s critically important to know what you’re eating! Mushroom Identification The term "poisonous" refers to a wide range of toxicity, covering the range from mild nausea to allergic reactions to life-threatening illness. For general identification of mushrooms you’ve found (not a poisoning case) we encourage you to bring them to our Monthly Meeting or the annual Santa Cruz Fungus Fair . You can also send a Mushroom ID request to our FFSC community mailing list (our Google Group), or via the Contact FFSC page on this website. Pet Poisonings Pets, particularly dogs, eat wild mushrooms on occasion. While the majority of these mushrooms are not toxic, a highly toxic small percentage can cause illness and death in pets. Contact your veterinarian if you see your pet consume a wild mushroom and bring a sample of the mushrooms in the area. For more information see Mushroom Poisonings in Dogs and Cats on the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) website. Report All Poisonings NAMA (North American Mycological Association) tracks all mushroom poisoning incidents. It is important to file a report, even for a minor gastrointestinal upset. After the incident, help document mushroom poisonings by submitting an online report or mail-in report to the NAMA Poison Case Registry. Learn More about Mushroom Safety The California Poison Control System (CPCS) Bay Area Mycological Society: Mushroom Poisonings North American Mycology Association: Mushroom Poisonings Wikipedia: Mushroom Poisoning Members Only Content Login Join FFSC

News & Stories / Field Reports Busted It was 25 years ago in May that I joined a foray to Yosemite, led by David Arora. Tony Dewey • May 16, 2016 Morels. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Memories of Matsutake Reality Check: Dispelling a Myth Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

News & Stories / FFSC Bylaws 2026 Revision We are revising our club bylaws. FFSC members are encouraged to review the changes before the April 2026 members meeting. Dan Tischler • March 10, 2026 Amanita. Photo by Dan Tischler The Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz is a group of diverse of individuals with various interests, skills, and levels of commitment. To minimize entropy, the FFSC Bylaws outline our organization's purpose and goals and provide the structure needed to achieve them. We are revising the bylaws in 2026 to consolidate some ministers' positions, refine duties, and better reflect how we operate. The new document is being reformatted for improved readability and easier future updates. There will be no changes to our core purpose and goals. We encourage FFSC members to review and comment on the bylaws before the April 2026 club meeting . Logged-in members can find more details below. Members Only Content Login Join FFSC Related Posts Previous Article All News & Stories Next Article

Cookeina tricholoma (Mont.) Kuntze (2014, Yukatan). Photo by Yev Nyden Cookeina Kuntze Sprouting from Forest Litter in Quintana Roo Yevgeny Nyden Thank you Yev Nyden for contributing this exotic find from Quintana Roo, Mexico. Yev says he stumbled upon this peculiar looking mushroom while hiking Nohoch Mul temple in Coba. Enjoy! More about cup fungi in the genus Cookeina : Cookeina , Wikipedia Bristly Tropical Cup (Cookeina) , iNaturalist Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark III Focal L. 97mm Aperture f/4.0 Shutter Sp. 1/2s ISO 500 Flash Off Photo taken on November 26, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Clathrus ruber. Photo by Anne Elvin Clathrus ruber Anne Elvin "It is nice to know that although my family is not quite excited about mushrooms as I am; I have made a difference where when they see an interesting fungus, they let me know. Texted to me from a Palo Alto Elementary School."--Kitty Clathrus ruber , Wikipedia Camera Phone Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on November 1, 2016 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Auriscalpium vulgare (Soquel, 2016). Photo by Cass Fuentes Auriscalpium vulgare on Pinecone Cass Fuentes Exploring the Soquel Demonstration Forest at the FFSC local foray in February, and though the weather was amazing, the fleshy fungi were few and far between... None-the-less, there was some really cool finds, including Hericium coralloides (a choice edible related to Lion's Mane), and Auriscalpium vulgare . Camera (Not provided) Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on February 20, 2016 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Golden Pholiota (Lassen 2014). Photo by Steve Olson Golden Pholiota Steve Olson Steve Olson, the photographer says: "I found 2 separate fruitings of this "unknown to me" variety. I feel like I should know what this is but can't come up with it. I'll be bummed if it happens to be a tasty edible!" Phil says, "It's a Pholiota , in the aurivella group." Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora says that as far as eating goes, it is to be avoided. Camera Olympus C-4000Z Focal L. 7mm Aperture f/2.8 Shutter Sp. 1/100s ISO 100 Flash Off Photo taken on September 19, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Sparassis americana (American cauliflower mushroom), Pisgah, North Carolina. Photo by Judy and Bobb Lipp Sparassis americana in North Carolina Judy Lipp Roaming the East Coast in our RV. Pretty dry out here until we went into the Pisgah National Forest near the North Carolina Arboretum. It's practically a rain forest there. Must have seen over 50 species without looking hard and literally thousands of mushrooms. It was hard to ever be out of sight of at least 5 species at a time. Fun to see so many different species that are different or uncommon to the West Coast. Used the Audubon Guide on my iPhone and kept popping up familiar names on the photos such as Debbie Viess and Noah Siegel. Thanks guys! (David Rust helped with the ID.) Learn about this mushroom: Cauliflower Tales , NAMA Camera (Not provided) Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on August 15, 2016 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder--Plato. Photo by Mike Slavers Beauty Lies in the Eyes of the Beholder - Plato Mike Slavers "Remember how in that communion only, beholding beauty with the eye of the mind , he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may." - Plato I have been photographing mushrooms in the Corte Madera Park hiking area for two years. This is photo is the first I saw and started my fascination with the life form. The park is on Skyline Drive about half way between Hwy 92 and Woodside Road. All of the mushrooms I have photographed, I have left them as they were when I found them. Camera Canon EOS Digital Rebel Focal L. 73mm Aperture f/5.6 Shutter Sp. 1/200s ISO 100 Flash Fired Photo taken on January 1, 2014 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Aureoboletus (Boletus) mirabilis, Puget Sound. Photo by Yevgeny Nyden Aureoboletus mirabilis Yevgeny Nyden Aureoboletus (Boletus) mirabilis , commonly known as the admirable bolete, the bragger's bolete, and the velvet top, is an edible species of fungus in the Boletaceae mushroom family. ( Wikipedia ) I took this photo in the Olympic National Park, Washington when I was visiting the Puget Sound Wild Mushroom Show. Camera Samsung SGH-M919 Focal L. 4mm Aperture f/2.2 Shutter Sp. 1/700s ISO 1000 Flash Off Photo taken on October 13, 2013 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Boletus rex-veris (McCloud). Photo by Hugh Smith Boletus rex-veris Hugh Smith Boletus rex-veris , commonly known as the spring king bolete, is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Boletus found in western North America Camera (Not provided) Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on May 18, 2025 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo

Purple Slime (Cortinarius sp.). Photo by Sam Betty Purple Slime Sam Betty Taken by an FFSC member, now living in Sonoma. Cortinarius sp. can be seen at Salt Point. Camera Apple iPhone 6 Focal L. Aperture Shutter Sp. ISO Flash Photo taken on November 27, 2016 Mushroom(s) ... Previous Photo Back to Gallery Next Photo