Mushrooms

Our recent rains have brought forth a varity of fungus. I am about as far from being a mushroom expert as you can get—one reason I NEVER nibble on wild fungus. The first, found on 29 September 2020 at Woodard Bay Preserve, appears to me to be Leucoagaricus leucothites—a White Dapperling. This Northern Hemisphere inhabiting fungus is common on lawns or, as in this case, roadsides. If I am correct, some people get very sick after eating this species, others enjoy it. “Gastrointestinal distress” is the most common symptom. The University of British Columbia states the best treatment for an adverse reaction is to “contact your Regional Poison Control Centre.” Bring along a mushroom sample to confirm your identification.

We photographed the next two mushrooms on 9 October 2020. The white fungus is from Kennedy Flats west of Olympia. The reddish one was one of two growing in our yard.  My Android phone assistant seems to think the white one is some sort of puffball, but it does not look like a puffball to me. The reddish one may be a species of the usually non-deadly genus of Russula (Brittlegill), perhaps R. paludosa, edible and common in Europe and North America. Something, maybe slugs, have been munching on it. I think I will follow iNaturalist’s advice, “Don’t eat anything you find in the wild.” I would appreciate identification suggestions for any of these fungus from my mushroom-expert friends—Kathy or Ron Hall?