Island Health is warning that extremely toxic mushrooms are "fruiting" early in the Greater Victoria region.
The death cap mushrooms normally fruit in the fall, but they have already been spotted in the Uplands and Cedar Hill regions this year. Island Health said these mushrooms can be found in both urban and rural areas, and typically grow under imported trees, but have been spotted under Garry oak trees as well.
The death cap mushrooms look similar to edible mushrooms, so Island Health said to only go foraging for mushrooms with someone who can accurately identify local varieties.
The mushrooms are particularly dangerous to toddlers and pets - in 2016, a Victoria toddler died after ingesting one of these mushrooms.
President of the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society, Andy MacKinnon said the mushrooms are not native to the area.
“Because it’s an introduced species, for the most part, it grows attached to the roots of introduced tree species,” MacKinnon said. “We find the death cap mushroom growing usually with European species like hornbeams, sweet chestnut, European oaks.”
Island Health said the early fruiting may have been caused by excessively watering lawns.