## Remember * Best time for finding mushrooms - rainy day after a stretch of dryness, and then head to your local park * Take pictures of all sides of the mushroom — gills or pores, cap, underside, stem (including the base) & photograph the habitat * Cook all mushrooms well, since most GI problems are from raw or undercooked mushrooms; most mushroom species are inedible if you eat them raw * Bitterness usually means toxicity but does not always equal toxicity; deadly death cap mushroom apparently tastes "pleasant and nutty." * As a rule of thumb, avoid anything with “skullcap” in the name. * Location matters a lot. Most mushrooms are region & habitat-specific. * Is the mushroom growing on the ground or a tree, or in an open meadow? * Is the tree living or dead? * Is the mushroom growing alone or in a clump or a cluster? * What type of tree is the mushroom on, if it is on one? * What time of year is it? * Think scent, surroundings, and season