Mushrooms from Halloween to Christmas

It’s mushroom season! Any walk in the woods these days will reveal a wild variety of mushrooms. These two fungi have an interesting story, just in time for the holidays…

Amanita muscaria

The classic toadstool, commonly known as fly agaric, is toxic. But the Norwegians let a reindeer eat the mushroom first, then drank the reindeer’s urine for the superpower. Yet another Christmas origin story you need to know.

Inky cap

Coprinopsis atramentaria has another common name, tippler's bane. This goo-drop is eatable, but combined with alcohol it is poisonous. According to Wikipedia, “treatment involves reassuring the patient that the often frightening symptoms will pass.” Just in time for Halloween, the flesh dissolves into a puddle of stinky black tar. Can you say “deliquesce”?

If you still have an appetite, please never eat a mushroom you’ve foraged unless an expert is there to confirm the species for you!

Tag along with Buck McAdoo from the Northwest Mushroomers Association to discover and identify the amazing variety of mushrooms on Lummi Island.