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Edibility
Toxic
Lookalike Danger
3 / 5
Habitat
🌲 Birch, pine
Season
Aug – Oct🌱 Now
"The storybook toadstool. Red with white spots — Mario's mushroom. Hallucinogenic and toxic, but iconic."
⚠️ Do Not Confuse With
Mushroom ID is a rule-out game. Every entry below describes a species that looks similar — learn the differences before you put one in a basket.
⚠️ Toxic if confused
Fly agaric has WHITE GILLS, WHITE STEM, and a bulbous base with concentric rings. Caesar's amanita has YELLOW GILLS, YELLOW STEM, and rises from a clean white volva cup. Both emerge from a universal veil, but the colors inside the cap diverge quickly.
🌳 Host Trees & Plants
This species is found with or partners with the following hosts. Ectomycorrhizal hosts (green border) form a root-level partnership; ericoid / arbutoid shrubs (purple border) share the same mycorrhizal networks.
Birch
Betula spp.
Ectomycorrhizal
Chaga, birch bolete, birch polypore host.
Pine
Pinus spp.
Ectomycorrhizal
Matsutake, slippery jack, suillus host.
Iconic red cap with white spots. Contains ibotenic acid and muscimol. Toxic when consumed raw. Some cultures prepare it with specific detoxification methods, but this requires expert mycological knowledge and is NOT recommended.
Habitat
Birch, pine, spruce, and fir forests at 5,000-10,000 ft. Mycorrhizal with living trees. Common in disturbed forest edges, clearings, and trailsides. NOT in burns.
Look for this on the ground
Recent burn scar
Charred sticks and pale ash, early successional moss and grass returning.
Season Windows by Region
Region
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Glacier / Flathead NF
MT · 3,500–8,500 ft
Bitterroot / Sapphire
MT · 3,500–9,000 ft
Helena / Big Belts
MT · 4,000–8,500 ft
Gallatin / Madison
MT · 5,500–10,500 ft
Beartooth / Absaroka
MT · 5,000–12,000 ft
Sawtooth / Stanley Basin
ID · 6,000–10,500 ft
White Mountains / Apache-Sitgreaves
AZ · 6,500–11,400 ft
Clear Creek Canyon / Mayhem Gulch
5,500–8,500 ft
Jones Pass Road
8,000–11,000 ft
Gordon Gulch / Nederland
7,000–9,000 ft
Kenosha Pass
8,000–10,500 ft
Guanella Pass Corridor
9,000–12,000 ft
Vasquez Creek / Winter Park
8,500–11,000 ft
Gunnison NF North — Crested Butte
8,500–12,000 ft
Gunnison NF South — Almont/Pitkin
8,000–11,000 ft
Cottonwood Pass
9,000–12,000 ft
San Juan NF — Pagosa Corridor
7,500–11,000 ft
Ruby Mountains
NV · 6,000–11,387 ft
Spring Mountains / Mt Charleston
NV · 6,000–11,916 ft
Jarbidge Wilderness
NV · 6,500–10,839 ft
San Juan NF — Silverton/Durango
8,000–12,000 ft
Grand Mesa
9,000–11,000 ft
Glenwood Canyon / White River NF
6,500–9,500 ft
Vail / Eagle County
8,000–11,000 ft
Steamboat / Routt NF
7,000–10,000 ft
Pike NF South / Tarryall
7,500–10,500 ft
Royal Gorge / Wet Mountains
6,500–9,500 ft
Leadville / Arkansas Headwaters
9,000–12,000 ft
Poudre Canyon / Roosevelt NF
6,500–10,000 ft
Rampart Range / Palmer Divide
7,000–9,500 ft
Clearwater Mountains
ID · 2,500–7,500 ft
Boise Mountains
ID · 4,000–9,500 ft
Salmon River / Lemhi
ID · 4,500–10,000 ft
Sun Valley / Wood River
ID · 5,500–10,500 ft
Bighorn Mountains
WY · 5,500–13,000 ft
Bridger-Teton / Tetons
WY · 6,000–13,500 ft
Wind River Range
WY · 7,000–13,800 ft
Absaroka / Shoshone NF
WY · 6,000–12,500 ft
North Cascades
WA · 1,500–8,000 ft
Central Cascades / Snoqualmie
WA · 1,500–7,000 ft
Olympic Peninsula
WA · 500–6,000 ft
Gifford Pinchot / South Cascades
WA · 1,000–8,000 ft
Okanogan Highlands
WA · 2,500–7,500 ft
Mt Hood / North Oregon Cascades
OR · 2,000–8,000 ft
Central Oregon / Deschutes
OR · 3,500–9,000 ft
South Cascades / Klamath
OR · 4,000–9,000 ft
Wallowa Mountains
OR · 3,500–9,500 ft
Blue Mountains
OR · 4,000–8,000 ft
Wasatch Mountains
UT · 5,500–11,500 ft
Uinta Mountains
UT · 7,000–13,500 ft
Manti-La Sal
UT · 6,000–12,700 ft
Sangre de Cristo / Carson NF
NM · 7,000–13,100 ft
Jemez / Santa Fe NF
NM · 6,500–11,200 ft
Santa Fe / Pecos Wilderness
NM · 7,000–12,600 ft
Gila NF / Black Range
NM · 5,500–10,800 ft
Coconino / Flagstaff
AZ · 6,500–10,000 ft
Kaibab Plateau / North Rim
AZ · 6,500–9,200 ft
Northern Sierra / Tahoe
CA · 5,000–9,000 ft
Central Sierra / Alpine
CA · 6,000–11,000 ft
South Sierra / El Dorado
CA · 5,000–9,500 ft
Northeast CA / Modoc-Lassen
CA · 4,500–8,500 ft
Snake Range / Great Basin
NV · 6,000–13,063 ft
NW IL Driftless
IL · 600–1,200 ft
SW Michigan
MI · 580–1,000 ft
Central MI
MI · 700–1,400 ft
Northern Lower Peninsula
MI · 600–1,700 ft
Upper Peninsula
MI · 600–1,979 ft
WI Driftless Area
WI · 650–1,700 ft
Central WI
WI · 750–1,400 ft
Northern WI
WI · 1,000–1,950 ft
Eastern IA River Valleys
IA · 550–1,100 ft
SE MN Driftless
MN · 650–1,350 ft
Central MN
MN · 900–1,500 ft
Monongahela National Forest
WV · 1,500–4,863 ft
Allegheny National Forest
PA · 1,000–2,300 ft
Pocono Mountains
PA · 800–2,200 ft
Catskills / Hudson Valley
NY · 400–4,180 ft
Finger Lakes / Central NY
NY · 500–2,000 ft
Great Smoky Mountains
TN · 900–6,643 ft
Apalachicola National Forest
FL · 10–300 ft
Ocala National Forest
FL · 20–200 ft
Acadia / Down East
ME · 0–1,530 ft
Western Maine
ME · 400–4,170 ft
Northern Maine
ME · 500–5,267 ft
White Mountains
NH · 800–6,288 ft
Lakes Region / Southern NH
NH · 300–1,800 ft
Green Mountains
VT · 800–4,393 ft
Northeast Kingdom
VT · 600–3,300 ft
Berkshires / Western MA
MA · 500–3,491 ft
Willamette Valley / Columbia Gorge
OR · 200–1,500 ft
Turtle Mountain SF
ND · 1,800–2,400 ft
Pembina Gorge
ND · 850–1,500 ft
Black Hills NF
SD · 3,200–7,242 ft
Custer NF / Slim Buttes
SD · 3,000–4,000 ft
Pine Ridge / Oglala NG
NE · 3,400–5,000 ft
Niobrara River Valley
NE · 1,900–2,700 ft
Ouachita NF (OK)
OK · 600–2,500 ft
Ouachita NF (AR)
AR · 600–2,700 ft
Superior NF / BWCA
MN · 1,300–2,301 ft
Chippewa NF
MN · 1,200–1,500 ft
NE Iowa Driftless / Effigy Mounds
IA · 650–1,250 ft
Croatan NF
NC · 0–150 ft
Adirondacks
NY · 1,000–5,344 ft
Cherokee NF
TN · 1,000–6,285 ft
Blackwater / FL Panhandle
FL · 50–300 ft
MN North Shore / Sawtooth
MN · 600–2,301 ft
NJ Pine Barrens
NJ · 0–200 ft
SE South Dakota / Newton Hills
SD · 1,300–1,550 ft
Sheyenne NG Oak Savanna
ND · 1,000–1,350 ft
Minnesota River Valley
MN · 800–1,150 ft
Cape Cod National Seashore
MA · 0–306 ft
Mon NF South / Cranberry Wilderness
WV · 2,500–4,863 ft
Catskills North / Mountain Lakes
NY · 800–4,000 ft
Western NY / Allegany SP
NY · 1,500–2,300 ft
Pine Creek / North-Central PA
PA · 1,000–2,300 ft
Hiawatha NF / Eastern UP
MI · 600–1,100 ft
Huron NF / Lower MI
MI · 600–1,200 ft
Chequamegon NF / NW WI
WI · 1,000–1,900 ft
Black River SF / Driftless WI North
WI · 750–1,400 ft
Mid-Coast Maine
ME · 0–800 ft
Connecticut River Valley / NH
NH · 300–1,500 ft
Nebraska NF / Bessey (Sandhills)
NE · 2,500–3,200 ft
Mount Blue Sky / Echo Lake
9,000–11,700 ft
Growing Requirements
Min Soil Temp
50°F
Moisture Need
rain 0.5in 7d
Drought Tolerance
moderate
Elevation Range
0–13,800 ft
Commonly Mistaken For
Species people confuse with this one — often the edible they were hunting for. Each is tagged with its own edibility; Amanita Muscaria is the dangerous one.
Amanita pantherina (Panther Cap)
ToxicMore toxic than A. muscaria. Brown cap with white warts. Same toxin class but higher concentration.
Amanita caesarea (Caesar's Mushroom)
EdibleChoice edible in Europe — orange cap, yellow gills, no white spots. Does not occur in Colorado.
Identification Tips
- ✓The white-spotted red cap is iconic but fades with rain — washed specimens can look plain orange
- ✓Always has a white volva (egg-like sac) at the stem base buried in soil
- ✓Often found in same habitats as King Boletes and Slippery Jacks
- ✓Do NOT consume without expert preparation knowledge — serious poisoning risk
Field Notes
Birch, pine
Found Amanita Muscaria?
Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.
Safety: Never eat any wild mushroom without 100% certain identification from multiple sources. This page is for informational purposes only. When in doubt, throw it out.