Fungi usually like the dark, but the death cap mushroom variety can't avoid the spotlight at the moment.
The deaths of three people from suspected poisoning - with a fourth person fighting for his life - is certainly a dark time for small-town Victoria.
At least one online mushroom website lists death caps as existing in the Hunter, but fungi scientist Pam O'Sullivan says she doesn't know whether they have been identified here.
If they were common, she would know. She was co-author of A guide to common fungi of the Hunter-Central Rivers region.
It's clear, though, that there are plenty of wild mushrooms in the Hunter that would cause gastrointestinal symptoms if ingested.
So it was a timely warning when Mrs O'Sullivan said people should be wary about foraging.
University of Newcastle poisons expert, Professor Geoff Isbister, said "we've never had a severe mushroom poisoning in the Hunter", but added that cases had occurred of wild mushrooms causing gastrointestinal symptoms.
The NSW Poisons Information Centre, based at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, warns on its website that many species of mushroom are "poisonous and some deadly".
"Remove wild mushrooms promptly if they are growing in your garden," it states.
Despite the shocking stories about the Victorian case, Mrs O'Sullivan said it shouldn't be forgotten that "there are so many good things about mushrooms".
Mushrooms have become popular in recent years, with the rise of so-called "medicinal" varieties such as lion's mane, reishi and cordyceps - and documentaries like Fantastic Fungi on Netflix.
The documentary highlighted the importance of "mycelium"- "the unseen parts of mushrooms, long threads hidden beneath the forest floor that serve as roots".
Also reflecting the popularity of fungi, CSIRO Publishing in 2021 released a book called Wild Mushrooming: A Guide for Foragers, with a media release noting that "fungi are diverse, delicious and sometimes deadly".
While so-called "magic mushrooms" raise concerns when abused as an illegal drug, it is interesting to note that psilocybin treatments are set to be offered in the Hunter this year for treatment-resistant depression.
And, as Mrs O'Sullivan points out, mushrooms have many good uses such as recycling nutrients into the soil and making bread, cheese, beer and wine, along with antibiotics and other drugs.
They also help clean up toxic chemicals, oil spills and nuclear waste.
So while mushrooms can cast a shadow of death, we shouldn't forget they are crucial for life.
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