Mushroom foraging is fun, but can be toxic, warn experts

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Category: Science/Environment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. dedicated / ˈdɛd ɪˌkeɪ tɪd / (adj.) – having a strong belief that an activity is very important and must be given a lot of time and energy to do
    Example:

    Julia is a dedicated student who spends hours studying every day.


  2. find / faɪnd / (n.) – something valuable that has been found or collected
    Example:

    The little boy collected shells from the beach and kept his finds in a wooden box.


  3. edible / ˈɛd ə bəl / (adj.) – can be safely eaten
    Example:

    They weren’t sure if the fruit they found was edible, so they did not eat it.


  4. take into account / teɪk ˈɪn tʊ əˈkaʊnt / (idiom) – to think about or consider something before making a decision or taking action
    Example:

    When planning a trip, you should always take into account the weather conditions of your destination.


  5. approach / əˈproʊtʃ / (v.) – to deal with something
    Example:

    When faced with a challenging task, it’s important to approach it with a positive attitude.


Article

Read the text below.

Damp weather at this time of year can be the perfect conditions for dedicated mushroom foragers in the UK. It can be a risky business—there’s always the risk of foraging a toxic mushroom that could make you sick—but it’s growing in popularity with many sharing their latest finds on social media.


Mushroom havens like Ashridge Woods in the English county of Hertfordshire attract the foraging community. Their eyes scan the ground for mushrooms not only to pick but to eat.


Marina Muttik is known online as the Foraging Mermaid, she’s been foraging all her life. Her parents are Russian and she says foraging is much more popular in Russia than in the UK, so she started following her parents on foraging expeditions as a child. She now runs workshops and educates the community about foraging through her social media channels.


But for every delicious edible mushroom, there’s always the risk of foraging a toxic mushroom that could make you sick or, in rare and extreme cases, even result in liver failure and death.


“It can absolutely be dangerous. There are deadly mushrooms around, and you have to watch out for them,” she says while taking a break from foraging.


Building up knowledge of what’s safe and what’s not takes time. Muttik even admits she can sometimes find identification difficult and has to pick the wider foraging communities’ brains.


“There’s no easy rules when it comes to mushrooms. So, that’s why you kind of have to look at all of the features. You have to look at where they grow, how they look, how they smell, [and] sometimes how they taste. There’s a lot of features to take into account,” she says.


Professor James Coulson is a toxicologist at Cardiff University. He recently examined data from the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) from 2013-2022 and discovered an average of 128 cases of mushroom poisonings in the UK every year.


Toxicology expert Coulson reminds us that foraging for mushrooms should be approached with extreme caution.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Considering the risks of mushroom foraging, do you think that this activity should be open to everyone? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What adventurous activities are you interested in? Do you tend to embrace the risks or prioritize caution and safety when doing those activities? Why? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Mushroom foraging has grown its popularity on social media, where people share their latest finds with their followers. How might the promotion of mushroom foraging on social media impact people’s perception of it (ex. it might encourage more people to forage, people might think it’s easy to do)? Are those generally positive or negative impacts? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you trust professionals who use social media to educate people about their respective fields? Why or why not? Discuss.