How to find and pick magic mushrooms

Protostropharia semiglobata is a dung-loving species (unlike P. semilanceata), with a shared preference for grazed grassland habitat, and a similar colored cap to a dry liberty cap. It also lacks the distinctive nipple of P. semilanceata, possesses a slightly thicker stem, and the gills are more widely attached to the stem. In addition, this species can be light with a wet shine, in contrast to P. semilanceata which only takes on a lighter hue following drying (being darker in color when wet).

Characteristics of Liberty Caps

It’s liberty cap lookalikes important to remember that when it comes to harvesting wild mushrooms, including liberty cap mushrooms, ethical considerations should always be kept in mind. Especially when you consider the difference between wildcrafting and foraging. Magic mushrooms have a long and storied history in various cultures. In fact, psilocybe mushrooms were used as a holy sacrament and called Teonanácatl in the Aztec language.

Identify Magic Mushrooms:

Liberty caps are small mushrooms that typically measure between 2 to 8 centimeters in height. One of their most notable features is the presence of a small, pointed umbo (a bump) at the top of the cap. Some would say a nipple like shape, which can give them a distinctive appearance, especially when they are fresh.

Dosage

• It’s around this time of year when people flock to the countryside to stock up on liberty caps, which can grow in huge quantities all over the place.
• Some can be slightly wider than they are tall, but will still have some height to them.
• Conocybe apala, the milky conecap, can be clearly distinguished by its white gills, and its delicate mushrooms tend to rapidly shrivel and bend from sight on drying.
• There is no exact value on what quantity psychoactive chemicals are present in this mushroom.
• Pholiotina rugosa (also known as the common conecap) is a deadly species of mushroom that could be confused for a liberty cap.
• The genus ‌Conocybe also has a similar cap and contains toxic compounds.

Fortunately, these species are highly distinct from each other, differing markedly in both their appearances and habitat preferences. However, around 2% of fungi species are considered truly poisonous globally, and might make you sick to varying degrees—anything from mild nausea to more serious, but non-fatal gastric disturbance. Local parks, common recreational areas, race tracks, woodland and country paths are all potential growing spots. If it’s smaller or bigger than this, it’s probably not a liberty cap. Nevertheless great care needs to be taken with this mushroom as it is still illegal to pick and possess them as well as their potentially dangerous side effects on your body. Alongside potential addiction and drastic changes in behaviour there are some physical effects of magic mushrooms that can be dangerous.

The gills and spores

There are also some edible mushrooms that look like liberty caps, but these aren’t going to give you the trip you’re hoping for. Some poisonous or “suspect” species of Conocybe, Galerina, Inocybe, and Mycena share some of the macroscopic features of liberty caps, but none of them possess all of the features listed above. But you can see it’s shaped more like a hemisphere than a cone or bell – hemispherical liberty caps are rare.

Identifying liberty cap mushrooms

However, most home growers today prefer to produce sclerotia rather than adults mushrooms, for the reasons of its legality and lower potency per dry weight compared to the mushrooms themselves. Moreover, ensuring safety and legal compliance is paramount when engaging with liberty cap mushrooms. For example, in places like Oregon and Colorado, recent legislative changes have made possession of small amounts of psilocybin mushrooms a low-priority offense or legal in some cities. It’s wise to keep in mind that laws regarding these types of substances can vary widely and change frequently, so it’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with your local laws. Fungi foragers are justifiably concerned about mistaking P. semilanceata for deadly poisonous species such as the death cap, Amanita phalloides. This mushroom is responsible for around 90% of mushroom-related deaths globally.

• The cap of the first (Conocybe apala) looks very fragile, and the cap of the second (Conocybe tenera) has strong orange tones.
• Liberty Caps contain the active ingredients psilocybin and psilocin, which can cause hallucinations and in some cases, nausea or vomiting.
• There are a number of Subreddits where you can post photos of your shrooms for a quick ID by experienced foragers.
• Again, these shrooms will have orange spores and gills and tend to be non-toxic.
• Any fungus that contains psilocin or psilocybin is controlled in the UK.
• Protostropharia semiglobata is a dung-loving species (unlike P. semilanceata), with a shared preference for grazed grassland habitat, and a similar colored cap to a dry liberty cap.

These examples are by no means exhaustive, and similar-looking mushrooms may vary in your region. The bottom of the cap (or cap margin) starts off rolled inwards and flares out with age. We have learned which mushrooms are poisonous or not poisonous through the experiences of the unfortunate. But I felt uncomfortable with buying mushrooms via ethically dubious supply chains. I could grow them instead, but that had its own practical difficulties.