After state sees four deaths and 40 hospitalizations, public health officials and foraging experts urge caution

A wet winter in California has produced a surge of wild fungi – a shroom boom that would typically have foragers cheering. But among the chanterelles and porcinis, a much more dangerous fungus called the death cap – also known as the Amanita phalloides – is causing alarm.

The state health department reports that, between late November 2025 and early February 2026, there have been four deaths and 40 hospitalizations linked to consumption of dangerous mushrooms, an outbreak the department describes as “unprecedented”. That’s far above the average for the state, which typically sees fewer than five mushroom-poisoning cases annually.