I found this mushroom on the bank of our creek where it was quite dry do you know what it is? I have attached a picture. Thanks Jean
From the pictures, I'd say that Stropharia aeruginosa is a possibility based on the green cap color, scales on the stalk, and what could be purple/brown gills. Neat mushroom.
Thank-you for your reply. I took another look at the mushroom after reading the description on a web site I found and thought it may not be that type as it is not at all slimy, the mushroom is really dry. Also slugs have been eating on it so does this indicate that it is not poisonous?
Were you able to find any other mushroom IDs that fit the description? I don't have any other suggestions without more information to go on. (I will mention that sliminess can be affected by the age of the mushroom or by the weather. Did you happen to touch the cap of the mushroom? Slimy/viscid mushroms often remain sticky after the slime dries.) As far as the toxicity of mushrooms is concerned, it is not safe to make assumptions about edibility for human consumption based on whether other animals eat them. One organism may be able to handle toxins in ways that another one can't.
Thanks again and yes I touched it and it wasn't even sticky. As for other animals eating things, I was always lead to believe that if you were lost in the forest then you could eat what other animals ate. So that is really good to know. Thanks>
Definately a wise decision to NOT trust animals. I found a squirrel eating a russula one day....another squirrel eating an anamita and the slugs have a field day on just about ANY mushroom WE can't. lol
It depends what kind of animal. According to "Down But Not Out", a survival book Canadian federal government employees are required to read if travelling by bush plane, birds are not a good indicator of which foods are edible because their stomachs are very different from ours. Many berries eaten by birds are either toxic or indigestible to humans. On the other hand, deer's stomachs are similar to ours and if you see a deer eat something, it's probably edible. Moss, for instance, is edible by both deer and humans. Still, no matter what you plan to start eating, start with a tiny little bit, rubbing it on your lips without even putting it in your mouth. If there's no bad reaction several hours later try chewing a bit then spitting out, then swalllowing the tiniest little bit, etc, etc. Never just decide something is edible and stuff yourself with it. This way if you make a mistake you're only exposing yourself to a small amount of toxin. edit: maybe wait a day or two in between each test exposure, symptoms of some toxins take a long time to become noticeable.
Suitable in a survival situation only. Some plants and mushrooms contain slow acting poisons the effects of which will not show up for some time in little ways...like kidney failure...or destroying your liver. Eating only a little of each item is a good approach, even over the longer term.
OK this is not completely relevant but I thought it was cool: Recent research has discovered that slugs (at least in this part of the world) prefer Russulas over other mushroom species, that they will ignore other food to make a beeline for the Russula. :-) frog
haha...I wonder how long it actually took to figure that out? I still find the left overs of many other families of fungi? But the Russula are hit the same day they appear. Slugs are wonderful!
Further on that note, I was leading a group of campers who had shown an interest in IDing major groups of fungi re: the posters Lac LeJuene Povincial Park had put up in the campgrounds, when we came across several deer that were so deeply engrossed in chowing down on a flush of Russula spps. that they paid us barely any mind at all! It was very exciting for many of the campers, and even myself as I had known they were fond of fungi, but not quite that fond (if you know what I mean <g>). Oh! The species was exceptional only in that it wasn't that exceptionally colored, especially for a Rusulla. As I remember, and that was 15 or so years ago (at least!) they were a dingy, rather pallid brown color, similar to R. brunneola. And yes, I regret now not having picked a few to take home and ID more definitively.
Yes, as a fungi consultant for BC Drug and Poison Control, I'd like to second that "survival situation only" advice. We see differences in food toleration between various ethnic groups alone. So between species.....well... :-)
See my new thread over in appreciation, "mushrooms the animals don't eat" here : http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?p=172267#post172267
