Are Lawn Mushrooms Poisonous To My Kids And Pets?

While there are far fewer poisonous mushrooms in the U.S. than there are edible, for anyone without training, or expert knowledge, lawn mushrooms are best stayed away from. Most adults know better than to consume a lawn mushroom, but young children and pets don’t have the reasoning capabilities to keep the fungus out of their mouths; if it looks interesting and tasty, it becomes tempting.

There are thousands of wild mushroom species in North America, and 250 of them are known as poisonous, but don’t let their small numbers fool you. Poisonous wild mushrooms can grow on any lawn, and some of them resemble common edible mushrooms. The best thing you can do is remove them when they pop up and teach your child simply to avoid them.

Are your lawn mushrooms poisonous? The clear majority of wild mushrooms aren’t poisonous, but it’s hard to tell the difference, and many poisonous mushrooms mascaraed as their edible counterparts.

There are some general rules for identifying poisonous mushrooms, but these aren’t perfect, and the best option will always be avoidance.

Look for white gills, rather than brown, a skirt or ring on the stem, a bulbous base, or red on the cap or stem.

Removing and avoiding ingestion are your best options when it comes to lawn mushrooms. But what do you do if someone ingests one?

If your child or pet ingests a wild mushroom, seek immediate medical attention. Find an ER or emergency vet and take a sample of the mushroom they ate with you. The ER doctor and veterinarian need to analyze the sample to determine if it was poisonous and what the course of treatment is. They may have to work with a mushroom expert. Treatment varies from inducing vomiting to drinking activated charcoal and taking an antidote.

After ingestion of a poisonous mushroom, you can expect stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea that may be bloody. These are the most common symptoms, but others can occur, including death.

Remove any mushroom that grows on your lawn or the bark of your trees. Without expert knowledge on mushroom species, you’re better off disposing of the mushrooms. This keeps you, your children, and your pets safe from potentially harmful fungi.

If your current lawn care provider isn’t addressing a mushroom problem, consider a service like Mowbot. Mowbot is an environmentally friendly lawn care service that uses battery-powered robotic lawnmowers and equipment to tend your lawn year-round, including eliminating any lawn mushrooms. Use Mowbot to keep your children safe, your pets safe, and your yard safe.