The blewit is a common and fairly easy-to-recognize mushroom due to its somewhat unique purple coloration. They are often found growing on forest debris as well as in urban areas on plant litter.
David Arora notes that blewits can smell of frozen orange juice which seems odd until you catch a slight scent that matches surprisingly well. Other identifying characteristics are a pinkish-buff spore print, and an inrolled cap margin.
Ruling out Cortinarius species is important as many Cortinarius can be toxic. Cortinarius will have a fine, cobwebby tissue on the underside of the cap when young though this will be difficult to notice as the mushroom ages. In addition, Cortinarius have rust-colored spores rather than the more pale colors of blewits.
Seasonality: Blewits can be found in Oregon from October into the spring. The season is a bit shorter in Washington, and in British Columbia lasts roughly from October to January.
Synonyms: Lepista nuda, Clitocybe nuda