Don’t count on either safety or succulence when it comes to white mushrooms in the woods.
It is probably a harmless but not so tasty mushroom, but the squirrel is probably no better judge of its safety than a layman.
The squirrel’s physiology is close enough to ours that if a mushroom is deadly to us, the squirrel would probably die too.
A poisonous mushroom destroys liver function in mammals, but you would have to watch the squirrel for several days to be sure it was not affected.
A sizable pale gray mushroom that looks like layers of thick fans and grows near an old tree stump is probably a species called hen of the woods, or Grifola frondosa.
It may be relatively safe to eat it, because there are not too many that look like it, but its flavor is not that great.
And don’t trust a squirrel, get a mycologist.
Related Posts
-
How Do You Tell Which Mushrooms Are Safe To Eat With a Silver Dollar?
I hope I caught you before you put Grandma’s reputed wisdom to the test. The myth says to put a silver dollar in the pan with the mushrooms, and if it didn’t turn…
-
What is the Difference between Mushrooms and Toadstools and are all Mushrooms Toadstools?
Not all mushrooms are toadstools, only the ones that'll kill you. And that's where the name comes from. The German word for poisonous mushrooms is todesstuhl, meaning "death's stool." English speakers heard "toad…
-
How many insects and other arthropods might you find in a northeastern backyard?
The number of individuals and species would depend on many variables, like soil condition and chemical use, but if the first few inches of soil were included, the totals might be impressive. One…
-
Can trees grow out of rocks with no soil and why were there no trees on the prairies of the Great Plains?
One important reason is that the complex ecology of the prairie environment is formed by a cycle of fires and regrowth of a succession of fire-tolerant plants, and trees do not survive the…
-
Why Do Cats Love to Climb Trees and Refuse to Come Down and Which Cat Actually Lives in Trees?
Many cats have a habit of settling or perching in high places such as ledges, and this fondness is based on instinct. In the wild, a higher place may serve as a perfect…
-
What Are the Oldest Living Trees In California and How Old Are the Bristlecone Pine Trees In California?
California's redwood trees are not the oldest living things in the world, but they are the tallest. One redwood tree in Redwood National Park is 368 feet (112 m) tall. One of the…
