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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outdoors blog

Shaggy mane imposter could ruin mushroomer’s day

Inky cap mushrooms. (Rick Itami)
Inky cap mushrooms. (Rick Itami)

WILD EDIBLES -- Out for a walk the other day, Rick and Terry Itami were excited to see a bonanza of wild mushrooms near Liberty Lake.

"I was sure it was a group of shaggy mane mushrooms on a side slope under some trees," he said. 

"Terry didn't want me to take a chance by eating them without being sure, so I sent photos to the local mushroom club. 

"They told me that these mushrooms are inky caps, which are in the same family as shaggy manes, but which can cause respiratory problems if you drink any kind of alcohol within three days of eating them.

"Whew!"

See a more detailed explanation of shaggy mane and inky cap mushrooms.



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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