Magnificent Mushrooms! #21

DISCLAIMER: This post is for information and interest only, it should not be considered a guide to edible wild mushrooms. Always go with a knowledgeable person when picking wild mushrooms.

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another look at one of our wild mushrooms of NE North America. The mushrooms we will look at today are quite common in our area. This one is named Deadly Galerina and there is a good reason for the name. It is ONE OF THE MOST TOXIC MUSHROOMS we have!

Deadly Galerina, it can be bell-shaped when young.

Eating these mushrooms will cause liver and kidney failure very quickly and unless you can get to a hospital very quickly, you won’t have much chance of survival. These mushrooms are generally fairly small, with caps up to 1 1/2 inches (about 3.5cm) although they can be up to 3 inches (7.5cm) wide, and they have very slender stems about 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5cm) tall.

They will grow in clusters on rotting logs. They are rusty to brownish in color, which fades as the mushroom ages and they can feel sort of sticky or slimy, depending on the weather. They can easily be confused with other smaller brown mushrooms that are edible, such as Velvet Foot which can look identical to the Deadly Galerina when it is young.

The caps will flatten with age and fade as well.

It is best to stay away from all little brown mushrooms just to be on the safe side. It is never a good idea to gamble with your life because you want to eat wild mushrooms. Many mushroom collectors have been poisoned by adding these mushrooms to other small brown mushrooms they have collected to eat.

These mushrooms like cool weather, no wonder they are common around here, so are often found in spring or fall. In our area they can be found spring, summer and fall. They are interesting for photography purposes, but that is all. Have a great day everyone and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

©2025 Steve McLeod.