Day 17: Whatever they are, there are a lot of them growing on the decaying hawthorn stump alongside my prized bioluminescent Carbon Antlers. Something has nibbled the tops of a few caps (mouse, I suspect) and may now be regretting that it failed to heed the most essential advice for mushroomers: "Unless you are 110% sure of the identification, do not eat it." And further, just because another mammal can consume a certain mushroom, it does not necessarily follow that it is safe for a human to eat. Different critters' digestive systems contain different enzymes and can process alkaloids which might be poisonous to a human. For example, deer and elk eat several Amanita species which can cause long-term damage to human livers and kidneys. Some might say that I am over-cautious when it comes to 'shrooms. I remind them that there is a good reason one mycological society referred to its annual dinner as the "Survivors' Banquet."
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