Mushroom Articles
27 articles on safety, foraging, science, and real-world cases.
Safety
How to Identify a Poisonous Mushroom
The myths that will get you killed, and what actually works in the field.
Mushrooms That Can Kill You
Real poisoning cases, real species. Each mushroom introduced through a death story.
Most Dangerous Mushrooms
The deadliest mushrooms on Earth and how to recognize them.
My Dog Ate a Mushroom
Emergency steps, danger signs, and which yard mushrooms kill dogs.
Mushrooms in Your Yard
What they are, whether to panic, and what about the dog.
Morel vs False Morel: How to Tell the Difference
The cut test, the cap test, and the poisoning cases that show why it matters.
Foraging
Best Edible Mushrooms
The most prized wild mushrooms for foraging and cooking.
Chicken of the Woods: A Field Guide
How to find, identify, and cook chicken of the woods, from someone who eats it every fall.
How to Find Morels
Weeks of finding nothing, then everything clicked. A beginner's honest guide to morel hunting.
The Post-Fire Morel Rush: Hunting Mushrooms in Burned Forests
After wildfires, morels fruit prolifically in burn scars. The biology, the rush, and the risks.
Mushrooms by Region
Find what grows near you with global distribution maps.
Can AI Apps Really Identify Mushrooms? The Science Says Not Yet
A 2026 Nature study found the best AI app fails 15% of the time. Here's what that means for foragers.
Science
Psychoactive Mushrooms: What Science Actually Knows
Clinical trials, microdosing evidence, risks, and legal status.
Psilocybin Therapy: The Race for FDA Approval
Compass Pathways expects an FDA decision by early 2027. What the clinical trials show and what it means.
Medicinal Mushrooms: What the Science Actually Says
Lion's mane, reishi, turkey tail, chaga, cordyceps. The real research vs the supplement hype.
Why Do Mushrooms Grow in Circles?
The real science behind fairy rings, plus 2000 years of folklore.
The Largest Living Organism on Earth Is a Fungus
An Armillaria honey mushroom in Oregon covers 2,385 acres and may be 8,000 years old.
Mycoremediation: How Fungi Are Cleaning Up Pollution
From oil spills to Chernobyl, fungi are breaking down pollutants that nothing else can touch.
How Climate Change Is Reshaping Mushroom Season
Fruiting seasons are shifting, truffles are declining, and species are moving to new regions.
Food & Culture
Cooking Wild Mushrooms: 8 Recipes From the Forest to the Pan
Real recipes for real wild mushrooms. Chanterelle risotto, porcini pasta, morel cream sauce, and more, with foraging maps showing where each species grows.
The Most Expensive Mushrooms in the World
Truffle auctions, matsutake gift culture, and the cordyceps economy. Follow the money.
The 10 Rarest Mushrooms in the World (With Photos)
From a fungus that exists only in Texas and Japan to a glowing mushroom mistaken for fox spirits. The ten rarest mushrooms on Earth and the stories behind them.
The Truffle Industry's Biggest Problem: Fraud
Fake truffles, synthetic oil, origin laundering. Inside the billion-dollar deception.
Real Cases
The Mushroom That Killed a Family in Australia
The Erin Patterson case. Death cap lunch, timeline, investigation.
California's Deadliest Mushroom Season: The 2025 Death Cap Outbreak
35 poisoned, 3 dead, 3 liver transplants. Inside California's worst amatoxin cluster in decades.
Death Caps Are Spreading Across North America
An invasive European mushroom is colonizing new regions. Where it's been found and where it's heading next.
When Familiar Mushrooms Turn Deadly: Poisoning in Immigrant Communities
Immigrants bring foraging traditions to countries where deadly lookalikes grow. The human cost is devastating.
Curious what that mushroom is? Orangutany identifies mushrooms from photos in seconds.