A potentially deadly mushroom that made global headlines recently after the death of multiple people in Australia also grows wild around southern British Columbia, and experts are warning foragers to be vigilant.
Death cap mushrooms, also known as Amanita phalloides, may have been responsible for killing three people and injuring a fourth last week after wild mushrooms were served at a family lunch in Australia’s Victoria state.
The highly toxic fungus can also pop up in Canada’s westernmost province and has prompted warnings this summer from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and two Vancouver Island communities.
The death cap is not native to B.C. and was first spotted in the Mission
