Is This Mushroom Safe? Expert Fields More Concerned Calls During Pandemic

For mushroom identification expert Matt Smith, spring is usually a slow time of year. “Mushrooms are less common during the spring in Florida, so this time of year I hardly have anyone contacting me about someone having eaten a mushroom that might be poisonous. But since everyone started staying home because of COVID-19, I’ve been getting more calls than usual,” said Smith, an associate professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida/IFAS.

A few factors related to the pandemic may be driving the uptick, Smith said. “People often get in touch because they want to know if a mushroom their child or pet ate was poisonous. With everyone being stuck at home, that probably increases the chances that a child or pet will come across a mushroom. If they look for answers online, they often find their way to my lab’s mushroom identification services,” Smith said. 

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