Red Car Property: Toadstools

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 5, 2015.  Last week, 6 - 8" diameter mushrooms sprouted in the the decaying leaf matter in Red Car Canyon.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 4, 2015.  How big are those mushrooms near Rose Scharlin?  My dog is a  Shepherd mix. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 5, 2015.  I don't know if they were so large they fell over, or were knocked over.  

These giants are in the Agaric family (gilled mushrooms).  It's the most common type of mushroom, of which there are scores of varieties.   These may or may not be the same variety as the huge mushrooms we highlighted in 2010.

Check out Mykoweb for some really fantastic photos.

Disclaimer: The Corralitas Red Car Property Blog prefers to quote reliable sources, such as CalFlora and California Poison Control on the issue of toxicity. MykoWeb is the resource everyone seems to refer to for mushrooms. The Los Angeles Mycological Society has a recommended reading list. 

If you are eating your way through the Red Car Property, we DO NOT recommend you eat any plant you find in the Red Car Property neighborhood without first doing your own research.