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Blue-Foot Psilocybe (Psilocybe caerulipes) — ForageIQ

Blue-Foot PsilocybePsilocybe caerulipes

Psychoactive — Controlled SubstanceuncommonWikipedia →

Edibility

Toxic

Lookalike Danger

5 / 5

Habitat

🌳 Decaying hardwood

Season

Jun – Sep

"Native northeastern Psilocybe. The stem base bruises a startling indigo blue. Easy to confuse with Deadly Galerina on the same hardwood debris — only the blue bruising tells them apart."

🌳 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.

Hardwood Forest

Fagaceae / Betulaceae (generic)

Saprobic substrate

Generic hardwood habitat — oak, maple, beech, birch, etc. Shown when the species is reported from hardwoods generally.

Native northeastern North American Psilocybe. Small caramel-brown cap on a slender stem; the species name "caerulipes" means "blue foot" — the stem base bruises an unmistakable indigo blue. Reduced population in recent decades due to forest succession.

Habitat

Decaying hardwood debris in cool deciduous forests from West Virginia and Tennessee north to Maine and Quebec. Summer fruiter — June through September.

Look for this on the ground

Mixed hardwood litter

Layered fallen leaves of maple, beech, birch, hickory — eastern deciduous floor.

Season Windows by Region

Region

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

NE Ohio

OH · 650–1,350 ft

Upper Peninsula

MI · 600–1,979 ft

Monongahela National Forest

WV · 1,500–4,863 ft

Shenandoah / Blue Ridge

VA · 1,000–4,049 ft

Southwest Virginia Highlands

VA · 2,000–5,729 ft

Central PA Ridges

PA · 800–2,500 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

Western NC Mountains

NC · 2,000–6,684 ft

Foothills / Piedmont Transition

NC · 800–2,500 ft

Acadia / Down East

ME · 0–1,530 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

CT · 400–2,380 ft

DE · 100–350 ft

NJ · 400–1,803 ft

VA · 1,000–4,397 ft

NY · 1,000–5,344 ft

PA · 1,200–3,213 ft

TN · 1,000–6,285 ft

NJ · 0–200 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 · 1,500–2,400 ft

Pine Creek / North-Central PA

PA · 800–2,400 ft

Hiawatha NF / Eastern UP

MI · 600–1,100 ft

Mid-Coast Maine

ME · 0–800 ft

Connecticut River Valley / NH

NH · 300–1,500 ft

Growing Requirements

Min Soil Temp

55°F

Moisture Need

rain 0.5in 7d

Drought Tolerance

low

Elevation Range

0–6,684 ft

Commonly Mistaken For

Species people confuse with this one — often the edible they were hunting for. Each is tagged with its own edibility; Blue-Foot Psilocybe is the dangerous one.

Galerina marginata (Deadly Galerina)

Deadly

DEADLY. Identical habitat and similar size. Galerina does not bruise blue. The single most lethal misidentification in eastern North American Psilocybe hunting.

Pholiotina rugosa

Deadly

DEADLY (amatoxins). Lawn-edge habitat; smaller and paler.

Identification Tips

✓The blue stem base is diagnostic — if no blue, it is not this species
✓Hardwood substrate, never conifers
✓Summer fruiter — most other US Psilocybes are fall

Field Notes

Decaying hardwood

Found Blue-Foot Psilocybe?

Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.

Log on iNaturalist View recent observations →

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.