Found near Tucson · September
What people actually find here
332 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.
Acorns54 records within 40 km this month
Prickly pear (tunas & nopales)46 records within 40 km this month
Dangerous look-alikeYarrow23 records within 40 km this month
Purslane14 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
Podaxis inyoensis
Podaxis inyoensis
17 records nearby
Desert Shaggymane
Podaxis pistillaris
16 records nearby
Your woods
What's growing around Tucson
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.
- hackberry
- oak
- poplar and aspen
- ash
- maple
- pine
Know these first
What can hurt you around Tucson in September
4 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 kill1 record 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.
- Hospital9 records nearby
Green-spored parasol
Chlorophyllum molybdites
- Mistaken for
- Shaggy parasol and true parasol mushroom, which it grows beside in lawns and parks.
- How to tell
- Take a spore print: this one is green, and its mature gills take on a dirty green tinge. Edible parasols print white.
- What it does
- The most common cause of mushroom poisoning in North America. Violent vomiting and diarrhoea for hours; rarely fatal but regularly hospitalising.
- Hospital8 records nearby
Next
What to start watching for
Coming into season in the next month or two near Tucson, Arizona. Seasons shift a week or two with the weather, so treat these as things to keep an eye on rather than dates.
