22-02-2025
Toxic mushrooms popping up in East Bay Parks: ‘You do not want to eat it'
BERKELEY, Calif. (KRON) — With the recent rainfall, two types of potentially deadly mushrooms are popping up in East Bay Parks.
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Melissa Fowlks, a naturalist for the East Bay Regional Park District, is warning against two poisonous mushrooms to look out for while visiting the parks: the 'Death Cap' and the 'Western Destroying Angel.'
'You do not want to eat it,' said Fowlks. 'Both of those are very toxic, and they have in the past resulted in death so they will give you a really bad stomachache, intestinal distress.'
The warning is not just for people. Pet owners are encouraged to keep their animals on a leash. Both mushrooms can be found anywhere where there are oak tree roots.
The toxic mushrooms pop up typically every year after stormy weather.
'Because we got all that rain, we had a lot of fungi popping up from under the ground,' said Fowlks.
Not all of those mushrooms are bad. 'Fungi is important,' added Fowlks. 'They're decomposers. They help create nutrient-rich soil. We need them.'
Fowlks just wrapped up the annual Tilden Fungus Fair, a free event to educate visitors on the variety of mushrooms around the East Bay. The fair was postponed after a dry January.
With unseasonably warmer weather underway, Fowlks is reminding potential park visitors on what they can and cannot do before making the trip.
'We've been having a lot of folks coming about searching, foraging — which you are not allowed to do in the East Bay Regional Parks so just be mindful of that,' said Fowlks. 'We don't want to do that.'
There are warning signs about the toxic mushrooms posted along the trails at the East Park Regional Parks. Park officials say the best way to stay safe is to stay on the trail.
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