Poisonous fungi are growing around Missouri and are just in time to match the colors for Halloween. But Missourians beware; the bright-colored mushrooms can make you sick.
According to a news release from the Missouri Department of Conservation, the mushrooms range from bright orange to a yellowish-orange and have "sharp-edged gills descending the stalk."
The dangerous mushrooms grow during the summer and fall and are usually found in clusters near the base of trees, on stumps, or on buried wood.
The Department of Conservation wants to warn those in Missouri that the poisonous mushrooms look similar and get confused for the edible chanterelle. The chanterelle has a close color and shape, but it has either smooth or blunt ridges on its underside.
The release says the "Jack-O'-Lantern fungi isn't poisonous enough to kill you, but "eating the jack-o'-lantern will make you very sick for a few days. You won't die, but you might wish you had."
The Missouri Department of Conservation posted on Facebook about the mushroom saying:
"JACK-O'-LANTERN MUSHROOMS: Jack-o'-Lantern mushrooms begin forming orange clusters at the bottom of trees around this time of year. This fungi is commonly mistaken for the edible chanterelle, but beware! Jack-o'-Lanterns are poisonous!"
For more information on the jack-o'-lantern mushrooms, click here.