Potentially deadly wild mushrooms are starting to pop up in parts of the state, prompting a warning about the risks of picking and eating unknown fungi.
Poisonous wild mushrooms can usually be found across much of the state from late summer to early winter when the earth is still warm, and particularly after rain.
Despite the low rainfall this year, cooler weather and recent rainfall has triggered the start of the fungi season in parts of the Adelaide Hills.
Poisoning from several varieties may have a delayed onset of symptoms - up to 24 hours - and can cause life-threatening liver damage. Early treatment can be lifesaving so don't delay if you think you have ingested wild mushrooms.
The Death Cap mushrooms, or Amanita phalloides, have been found recently at a few locations in the Hills. They are extremely poisonous even if only tiny amounts are ingested.
Death Caps can be difficult to distinguish from other wild mushrooms and can resemble some edible species, so it is important to keep an eye on children and pets when outside. Even the experts can have difficulty in identifying some species, so you should only ever eat mushrooms that have been purchased from a reliable green-grocer or supermarket.
Around 46 per cent of the calls made to the Poisons Information Centre last year about mushroom poisoning involved children under the age of five.
There was a 16 per cent decrease in total mushroom-related calls to the Poisons Information Centre, down from 119 in 2023 to 100 in 2024. Twenty-three of these cases were either in hospital or were referred to hospital by the Poisons Information Centre.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning include severe stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, which can take several hours to appear. This can progress to life-threatening liver failure, depending on the species.
