Dear neighbors,
Last May I had the sad opportunity to email you about an epidemic bloom of deadly mushrooms, Amanita ocreata, one of which was responsible for fatally poisoning our 3 month old spaniel.
Since that event I have become aware of 3 other newly acquired puppies who ingested this species of mushroom in Menlo Park, 2 fatally and one who survived after days of intensive care, whose owner, our neighbor, rushed his 8-week old puppy to Sage Veterinary Hospital within minutes of the ingestion where they were able to save her because of his vigilance and urgency.
I now write you again to report that yesterday I found a fresh Amanita phalloides (“deadly nightcap”) mushroom in our back yard under the canopy of a coastal oak. This Amanita variety is the mushroom that is responsible for the vast majority of mushroom fatalities worldwide. While A. ocreata emerges in the late winter and spring, A. phalloides emerges in the late summer and autumn, i.e. now.
Its features are highlighted in the attached photos of the specimen from my yard: an olive greeen blush to the cap, white gills and spores under the cap, a “skirt” on the stalk just under the cap (partially sewn in the photo), and a “vulva,” an enlargement of the stalk just below the surface of the soil, not shown in my photos.
As before, i would like to warn MP residents that the deadly Amanita mushroom bloom this year is epic, the largest in 40 years according to the SF Chronicle, as is the number of fatal and near fatal human ingestions.
And as before I hope that the Council will direct city groundskeepers and landscapers to be alert for these fungi and remove and discard any found in city parks to prevent poisonings of children and pets.
Thank you. [image0.jpeg] [image1.jpeg]
ELLIOT J. KRANE, MD, FAAP, FASA
Emeritus Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics
Stanford University School of Medicine
Center for Academic Medicine
453 Quarry Road - Mailstop 5663
Stanford, CA 94305-5663
ekrane@stanford.edu | Mobile 650-619-6472
On May 8, 2026, at 1:01 AM, Elliot J. Krane wrote:
Dear Council Members,
I am a Menlo Park resident and a frequent user of . I wish to tell you of a tragic incident that occurred today and suggest a way that our city may provide a life-saving intervention:
Today we had to euthanize our 12 week old puppy who had fulminant hepatic failure from back-yard contact with a toxic mushroom called Amanita orceata. It’s deadly to pets and humans and even a tiny quantity can kill an adult human in days. There is no treatment for this poisoning except liver transplantation. And yet the fungus appears innocent, like a common toadstool. This species blooms (erupts) through the ground in the spring in warm weather following wet weather, particularly around California coastal oaks and conifers. The Amanita phyloides, the “Death Cap,” is similar but blooms in the autumn.
We are now in a period in which the California Amanita bloom is larger than in the last several decades and in which human deaths are up 300% according to UCSF poison control (personal communication). This once uncommon hazard is now increasingly common. And these mushrooms are an attraction to curious dogs and toddlers of which there are many enjoying the park.
Therefore I am suggesting that the Parks Department instruct its maintenance crews to be on the lookout for these mushrooms every day and dispose of them if found. Perhaps you might put up warning signs to warn park users, because knowledge of this hazard is almost unknown to the public. Even I, a Stanford School of Medicine professor, was unaware.
This may well prove to be one of the most life-saving actions your government may ever do.
Thank you for reading this long email.
Elliot Krane, MD, FAAP, FASA
Professor Emeritus
Stanford University School of Medicine
Center for Academic Medicine
Pediatric Anesthesia 5663
453 Quarry Road
Stanford, CA 94305-5663
