Abundant moisture throughout the San Luis Valley in recent weeks has resulted in a plethora of mushrooms, especially in the forested areas of the surrounding mountains. Amateur hunters of edible fungus need to be sure of what they’re gathering especially avoiding poisonous varieties like the Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria pictured above found near Love Lake southwest of Creede.

Found in most of the hills surrounding the SLV, the pretty red, polka-dotted mushrooms contain the poison muscarine which can prove fatal.