The Mushroom at the Centre of a Murder Trial
Meet the Death Cap
Today is World Environment Day 🌏 and as we reflect on the natural world and our tangled connections to it, it might surprise you to learn that one of the most talked-about topics in Australia right now is... a mushroom.
Downunder, in rural Victoria, a murder trial is playing out that has people glued to the daily news and podcasts.
At the heart of it? A dinner of Beef Wellington was allegedly laced with a toxic mushroom pâté. Three guests died. One survived. The cook, Erin Patterson, says it was a tragic mistake—a case of mistaken mushroom identity- and has continually maintained that she thought the mushrooms were safe, pleading not guilty to the charges.
Whether Ms Patterson is found innocent or guilty is for the justice system to decide.
But let’s be clear: it’s not the mushroom that’s on trial.
Please note: all images in this blog are copyrighted by Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak of Planet Fungi. If you wish to license any please email us at https://www.planetfungi.movie/contact
🍄🟫 What is the Death Cap?
Scientifically known as Amanita phalloides, the Death Cap is well known to those of us who spend intimate time with fungi. It is a mushroom we respect.
One of the most poisonous fungi on the planet, it contains potent amatoxins that survive cooking and drying. Just a small amount can be lethal to humans, and it’s equally dangerous to dogs.
The Death Cap is not native to Australia. It likely arrived with imported European trees and is now well established in parts of Victoria, the ACT, and Tasmania. Recent sightings in South Africa suggest this deadly fungus may be spreading further across the southern hemisphere.
One of the most chilling pieces of information about the death cap mushroom is that it reportedly tastes good—making it all the more dangerous. The first symptoms of poisoning—nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain—can take 6 to 12 hours to appear, often long after the meal has been enjoyed.
⚠️ If You Think You've Eaten One...
Don’t wait. Go to hospital immediately. Take a sample of the mushroom with you if possible.
🍄🟫 How to Spot a Death Cap
Cap/pileus: Usually yellowish-green to olive-brown, smooth. Sizes range from 5 to 15 cm in diameter.
Gills/lamellae: White and not attached to the stem.
Stem/stipe: White with a bulbous base enclosed in a cup-like volva, and a membranous ring around the stem.
Habitat: Often found near oaks or imported trees in urban parks, woodlands, or gardens.🍄🟫
🌳 A Partner in the Web of Life
Despite its danger to humans, the Death Cap is not evil. Like all fungi, it simply is—a product of evolution with a role to play.
In fact, Amanita phalloides is an important ecological ally. It forms mycorrhizal relationships with trees—trading nutrients and water for sugars, helping trees thrive, and building underground fungal networks that support forest health.
This mushroom is also a partner in biodiversity, contributing to the health of the very ecosystems we celebrate on World Environment Day.
A gallery of Amanita mushrooms from Africa, China, Nepal, Myanmar and Australia.
🌍 The Bigger Picture
At Planet Fungi, we’ve documented Amanita species around the world—from edible to toxic, native to invasive, and some still entirely unstudied.
What unites them is not their value or toxicity to us but their role in the living systems that keep our planet functioning.
This World Environment Day 🌏, we’re reminded that fungi are neither good nor evil.
They are complex, powerful, and often misunderstood. They are key players in ecosystems, from forests to gardens. They can kill, yes—but they also give life, provide food, recycle nutrients, and connect entire landscapes.
So let’s tread thoughtfully, respecting the power and beauty of fungi.
And let’s never assume that something harmless-looking on a forest floor—or a dinner plate—is safe to eat unless we know exactly what it is.
FOLLOW THE RAIN
A Fungal Love Letter to Our Planet
This World Environment Day, we invite you to (re)discover the extraordinary story of fungi in our feature documentary Follow the Rain — now streaming on Netflix across Australia and New Zealand.
Shot over three years in some of the most remote and ecologically rich corners of Australia, Follow the Rain is more than a film. It’s a cinematic journey into the underground — a celebration of the quiet, powerful, and often unseen kingdom that sustains life on Earth.
If you haven’t yet watched it, or it’s been a while since you’ve seen it, today is the perfect day to press play. Let the fungi speak.
🌍 Not in Australia or New Zealand?
We’d love to help you bring Follow the Rain to your part of the world. If you're part of a fungi group, school, university, environmental festival, or community that would like to host a screening — get in touch. We can help facilitate local events and share resources to make your screening a success.
Because understanding fungi is essential to understanding how life on Earth stays alive.
📩 Reach out via www.planetfungi.movie
Stephen became captivated by the unique patterns and interwoven tones of this Amanita muscaria specimen.
Planet Fungi's Ephemeral Kingdom selected for
New York "FUNGI" Exhibition 🎥🍄
We’re thrilled to announce that Ephemeral Kingdom, our fungi video artwork, is part of the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition & Brooklyn Mushroom’s international juried art exhibition FUNGI, in New York, USA.
This one-of-a-kind all-fungi art show dives deep into the mysterious world of mushrooms through visual art, sculpture, sound, video, and live performance. It’s a celebration of fungi at the intersection of art, science, psychedelics, and biology — and we’re honoured to be among the contributors.
If you’re in Brooklyn, we invite you to wander through the show and be transported by Ephemeral Kingdom — a time-lapsed, textural journey into the fleeting beauty and pulse of fungal life, with music by Romano Crivici and Carla Thackrah.
📍 Where: BWAC Gallery, Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York.
🗓️ When: Opening Reception: Saturday, June 7, 2025 from 1‐6 P.M Exhibition Dates: Saturday, June 7 – Sunday, June 29, 2025, weekends 1‐6 P.M
🌐 More info: https://www.bwac.org/exhibition-content/fungi
Bringing the Magic of Fungi into the Classroom
Our award-winning fungi documentary Follow the Rain—along with an exciting new Study Guide for Schools, is now available for teachers and parents who want to bring the wonder of nature into young minds
Designed for Years 3–8 and matched to the Australian curriculum, our teacher pack connects science, the arts and media studies with hands-on learning. Kids can explore how fungi are classified, how they interact with plants and animals, and how photography and film can be powerful tools for science.
Whether you're a teacher looking for rich classroom content, or a parent or grandparent eager to get your local school to use this truly unique educational resource, Follow the Rain is the perfect way to inspire a lifelong fascination with the natural world.
To order the study guide and film, visit www.atomvic.org/education-shop or contact ATOM at (03) 9525 5302 or via email at education@atom.org.au.
SUPPORT FUNGAL RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION
If you would like to support more research into, and conservation of, this fascinating, important, but understudied area of science, there are three organisations that we partner with, who work tirelessly in these areas.
AUSTRALIA - Big Scrub Conservancy Foundation
INTERNATIONAL - Fungi Foundation
Every little bit helps.
Cookeina insititia is commonly known as the Fringed Goblet