East Bay parks officials say hikers should beware of an unusually large number of toxic — and potentially deadly — mushrooms sprouting across the region.

The East Bay Regional Parks District issued an advisory Tuesday warning park visitors about the fast-growing fungi, which include the death cap and western destroying angel varieties. Both species benefitted from a spate of early-season rain storms that allowed them to appear in greater volume than usual for this time of the year.

The warning comes after state health officials say at least 21 people appeared to be recently poisoned by death cap mushrooms across the state, including several in the Bay Area and in Monterey County, according to the Associated Press. The poisonings prompted the California Department of Public Health to advi

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