El Niño Brings Needed Rain, But Also Causes Poisonous Mushrooms to Sprout

It’s always been interesting to me how something beneficial can also bring with it something deadly. Rain is a necessary part of life, since all living things need water, but with flood risks and other hazards, it can be deadly.

Not too long ago, I wrote about wet weather causing Sulphur Tufts to grow all over and raising a health concern. Now, with El Niño causing heavy rains in California, Death Cap mushrooms are popping up. These mushrooms are highly poisonous; so it is important to be cautious, but as always, I believe education can go a long way, so here’s an easy how to identify Death Cap. 

We had some Death Cap growing in our yard a couple of years ago. If you do find some, keep an eye on the spot after you get rid of it. We had to get rid of it several times before it stopped coming back. 

Death Cap

El Niño is causing more good than harm so far, however. We all know the drought in California has been getting worse, with officials saying they could only support water needs for the state for roughly another year. The high rains have lessened the severity of the drought, though they’re not ready to declare it over yet. If you’re interested in seeing some of the changes brought on by El Niño you can look at some before and after pictures. 

What’s something beneficial, but also deadly that fascinates you?