Authorities have issued warnings against foraging for wild mushrooms in New South Wales as seasonal blooms begin with cooling weather.
The NSW Poisons Information Centre last year received 382 reports of mushroom poisoning.
Most were from accidental exposures in children, while others involved people who consumed wild mushrooms for food or recreation.
"It's around this time we get the most calls about mushroom exposures across the year," the centre's medical director Darren Roberts said.
"This relates to the fact there are a lot of look-a-like mushrooms.
"Most people don't have the skills to readily identify a mushroom that is less risky to consume than a mushroom that is of high risk to consume."
The centre recommends against any wild mushroom foraging, as consuming some can cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as damage to the liver and kidneys.
Glowing mushrooms spark interest
Meanwhile, photographers from across the state are on the hunt for rare glowing ghost mushrooms.
A recent sighting near Sydney's Brighton-Le-Sands Beach attracted people from more than 40 kilometres away.
Resident Louisa Xu said she was doing her usual walk when she noticed a tree covered in the white mushrooms.
When she visited later at night on the advice of friends, she found them glowing bright green and took equipment to take photos.
"I thought they were only really in dense bushland away from metropolitan Sydney, so I didn't expect it to be there," Ms Xu said.
"As soon as I posted [photos online], I had so many people asking for the location of the mushrooms because they wanted to go see them."
Ms Xu said a small crowd appeared the next evening to try and photograph the glowing mushrooms, armed with umbrellas and towels to block interfering light from streetlights and buildings.
"I just felt so fortunate to be able to witness it, given that it's so rare and they only stay bright for a few days or at most a week," she said.
Ms Xu said she knew they were poisonous mushrooms and did not let her dog go near them.
A dangerous likeness
Ghost mushrooms are often mistaken for being a wild version of the oyster mushroom commonly found in supermarkets.
The NSW Poisons Information Centre said there was a high risk of poisoning and hospitalisation if people consumed them.
"It is not uncommon that we hear stories of people wandering through forests and see the ghost mushroom and think it looks like the wild version of the oyster mushroom," Dr Roberts said.
While the centre advises against the practice, there are groups that run mushroom picking tours.
'It's not worth your life'
Amanda Fry, who runs foraging tours in NSW's Southern Highlands, said it was important to go with somebody who had done it before and knew how to identify the right mushroom.
"It's not worth your life and it can be the most wonderful and bonding experience once you get the confidence," she told ABC Radio Sydney.
"You don't just become a forager overnight."
Dr Roberts said foragers should keep a fresh mushroom uncooked, along with photographs, so the centre could attempt to identify it if needed.
"In the event that people become unwell, then at least there is a mushroom we can identify to get a better understanding as to why someone is unwell," he said.
