One familiar with the southeastern Florida ecology?

Sorry, I'm still too discombobulated to be able to post pics, but I noticed when I went out to survey hurricane damage this morning that one of the changes overnight was a lawnful of mushrooms. There seem to be two varieties (I'm assuming that they aren't variations on the same species). One is flat and gilled, and the other has a circular head. Both are white, and as the day progressed, they developed brown areas on top.

Anyone know what they are, and if having them for dinner would result in delicious nutrition, or a trip to the emergency ward?

Rand, I would have to see a pic but the ones that look like that on the Texas gulf coast will at best, upset your stomach, at worst, kill you. Depends on the species. This is a description of the a common one around here. Conocybe lactea "cone-head milk-colored" Small lawn mushrooms with thin, straight stalk and cone-shaped cap, often springing up early in the morning and dried out by noon. Not highly toxic. Rust-colored spores. This one is very dangerous. Amanita virosa A member of the deadly "Destroying Angel" group, highly toxic. Beautiful white caps, stalk, ring, gills, spores, and with a large white sac or cup at the base. The most poisonous mushroom in the Texas woods.

Hopefully you don't really mean to eat them, but just in case, the best answer I can give you is that unless you're an expert yourself, NEVER eat mushrooms you didn't (a) grow yourself from known spores, or (b) buy at the grocery store.

We've had a lot of mushrooms/toadstools in the lawns & mulch around here, due to the excessive rain we've had this summer.

Out here in Oregon, wild mushroom hunting (and eating) is a popular pasttime. It's both and art and a science, however* and you don't want screw up either of those before you imbibe. Which is to say, be *very* sure about the identification. I'm afraid I can't be of any help with gulf coast mushrooms.

* And for some, a religion.

Nathan, a wooded hillside full of Morels!! Tasty!!

Damnit Bill, now I'm hungry!

No, I don't intend to eat them, but I was just curious to know if there was any chance that they are edible.

Yea I think they are the same mushroom just in different stages of developement. When they are young they have a round closed capped and as they mature they open their spore sacks and flatten out and their brown spots darken.

Sounds exactly like the kind of mushrooms that spring up like crazy in my back yard here in Forney, TX after a long series of heavy rains and cool mornings. I looked around for a few days on the internet a while back and after googling all kinds of different mushrooms I finally found them. The name eludes me now but the one that Bill refers to, "Conocybe lactea" sounds familiar however I wouldn't describe them as being small as the caps can get pretty large, flat, and round after they open out. I do recall quite clearly in my research though that these are unedible types of mushrooms that will give you indigestion, upset stomach, and gas. Unfortunately no hallucinogenic visuals, euphoric feelings, or Cheshire smiles to accompany the stomach discomfort though.

There is one thing you can try to help determine what type of mushroom it is. Cut one cleanly across the stem and then watch for the cut surface to change color. Depending on what type of variety it is the cut will either turn red, green, yellow, blue, or brown.

Do these mushrooms form rings on your lawn? I noticed that on our lawn (near Chicago) after I planted a garden with large amounts of organic soil amendment. The ring spread from there out through the grass (presumably consuming grass clippings.) Interestingly, the grass was noticably greener in the wake of the ring -- my guess is the fungus was liberating usable nitrogen from the dead materials.

No, no ring, but they did seem to grow in a line extending out from the hedge.

Don't forget the third mushroom option, somewhere between toxic and edible: psychedelic. :-)

(Yes, they do grow in the southern US--but usually on cow patties or other fertilizer, not lawns. If you pick it/squeeze it and it bruises with a blue/purple area, there's a good chance that it's in this category.)

Anyway, don't touch 'em if you're not totally sure what species they are. Some of those mushrooms will destroy your liver and that would, like, totally suck.

Collybia & Mycena are most common in Miami. If your lucky you'll get a large Chlorophyllum molybdites. Post a picture!

Rand,
all the above info is good, but the best, from a culinary stand point, is unless you are an expert NEVER eat wild mushrooms. As a side bar, I know that some of the wild 'shrooms that grow in your area, will have you taking a trip, long before your dessert is digesting.

Rand, IIRC from survival training many years ago, mushrooms also have little to no nutritional content making it not only potentially dangerous but pointless to eat them. Except for tastiness and possible side effects of course ;)