The Mind-Altering Fly Agaric

This gallery contains 6 photos. The amanita muscaria or fly agaric, is a common toxic mushroom that grows easily in the fall when things get nice and damp(er) on the West Coast. Photographed on October 16 at the local golf course.

The underside of a fly agaric that shows its gills, minus the stem. Someone (or something) did a perfect separation. Photographed on October 16 at the local golf course.

Ingestion of this toadstool raw results in hallucogenic experiences. Consumption of a sufficient quantity can even lead to death (though apparently this is rare). Maybe that’s why it’s bright red–to warn others of its poisonous nature. Here’s a closeup of a fly agaric with a hole through the top of the umbrella. Was it a slug that found this poisonous mushroom tasty? Photographed on October 16 at the local golf course.

Although predominantly red, fly agaric can sport orange and yellow on its cap as well. By the time some fly agarics get to this size, the white crusty spots may have been washed almost completely off by the rain. Photographed on October 16 at the local golf course.

They often grow in colonies. This trio was photographed on October 12 at the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

These mushrooms have other nemeses. Was it a lawnmower or a squirrel (another creature that can eat fly agaric safely) that tore this mushroom apart? Photographed on October 16 at the local golf course.