Found near Denver · September
What people actually find here
329 species have been recorded within about 40 km of here in September, from verified public observations. These are the ones we have written up, ordered by how often they turn up.
Chokecherry100 records within 40 km this month
Acorns51 records within 40 km this month
Purslane45 records within 40 km this month
Broadleaf plantain40 records within 40 km this month
Dandelion39 records within 40 km this month
Dangerous look-alikeYarrow39 records within 40 km this month
Dangerous look-alikeWild grapes34 records within 40 km this month
Dangerous look-alikeJuniper berries28 records within 40 km this month
Lamb's quarters17 records within 40 km this month
Also out there, that we haven't written up yet
Recorded near you this month. We have no identification guidance for these, so treat them as a list of things to go and learn — from a regional key or someone who knows them — not as a list of things to pick.
Fungi
Shaggy Mane
Coprinus comatus
58 records nearby
dune stinkhorn
Phallus hadriani
49 records nearby
Your woods
What's growing around Denver
The commonest trees recorded nearby, most often seen first. Most of the good mushrooms are tied to a particular tree, so this is the first thing to know about a wood.
- cherry
- maple
- pine
- poplar and aspen
- oak
- Douglas-fir
- elm
- willow
Know these first
What can hurt you around Denver in September
5 species on our hazard list have been recorded near here this month, 1 of which can kill a healthy adult. Learn these before you learn anything you intend to eat.
- Can kill3 records nearby
Small parasols (Lepiota)
Lepiota (the whole genus)
- Mistaken for
- Shaggy parasol and true parasol mushroom, which are larger relatives worth eating.
- How to tell
- The dangerous ones are small — a cap under about 8 cm — with brown scales on a pale ground and a ring. Size is the whole distinction, and it is not a comfortable one, so the safe rule is to leave every small scaly parasol alone.
- What it does
- Several small Lepiota species carry amatoxins and have killed adults. There is no benefit that justifies the risk.
- Hospital47 records nearby
Bittersweet nightshade
Solanum dulcamara
- Mistaken for
- Its red berries get picked as currants or tomatoes by children.
- How to tell
- Purple flowers with a yellow beak, leaves with a pair of small lobes at the base, and berries that ripen green to orange to red on the same cluster.
- What it does
- Solanine: burning throat, vomiting, and in a child, worse.
- Hospital3 records nearby
Fly agaric
Next
What to start watching for
Coming into season in the next month or two near Denver, Colorado. Seasons shift a week or two with the weather, so treat these as things to keep an eye on rather than dates.
