POISONOUS MUSHROOMS

For the past couple weeks, we have been carefully checking our yard before each time we let our dogs outside.  We found some white mushrooms growing, and didn't want to take any chances.  We have been removing them as they appear.  The other day, we finally did an internet search and found out what is growing in our open, full sun, yard.  We have determined that our newest vegetation is nothing less than Destroying Angel mushrooms! 

 

We had one that grew to a length of about 7 inches in less than the 3 hours between inspections (see below photos). 

 

There are four separate species generally called Destroying Angel mushrooms.  It can be very difficult to determine which species is which, but they are all deadly. 

 

I have attached pictures of the last couple removals of Destroying Angel mushrooms from our yard.

A larger Destroying Angel mushroom (bottom photos) that grew up in less than 3 hours after a rain.

 

A Google or other search engine for "Amanitas" should turn up a wealth of information about these deadly fungi.  Excerpts from two of the informative sites I found, follow.

Kate Long

See links:

http://www.bluewillowpages.com/mushroomexpert/amanita_bisporigera.html: 

"The Destroying Angel 

 

Amanita virosa, Amanita verna, Amanita bisporigera, and Amanita ocreata

 

These beautiful, stark-white mushrooms are among the deadliest mushrooms on earth, containing enough amatoxins to kill a healthy adult with just one bite! Along with the Death Cap, Amanita phalloides, they should be learned by anyone who collects gilled mushrooms for the table!

 

Four closely related species go under the common name "Destroying Angel..."

 

from http://www.fungifest.com/article1007.html:

 

"Amatoxins are found in the amanita mushrooms, causing about 90% of all mushroom deaths in the world. These toxins are so deadly that often just one bite of these mushrooms containing it can cause death because these toxins are ten times deadlier than cyanide. The most common amanita mushrooms are the Destroying Angel, which has the white cap, and the Death Cup, which has an olive green cap. These are to be avoided at all cost...

 

Symptoms usually appear 6-10 hours after eating amanitas. These symptoms include severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting and usually last a day. After the patient seems to improve, this is the dangerous time when the toxins have been attacking liver and kidney cells. About the fourth day after eating an amanita, the liver and kidneys may fail and death will occur."

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