Fly Agaric, Or Amanita Muscaria Mushroom.

The Fly Agaric, or Amanita Muscaria mushroom is a wonderful mushroom to find on a nature wander. It has long been associated with fairy tales and fairies. I have seen countless photographs of it on Instagram or the past few weeks, and have been quite jealous over the people who have found it. This weekend, however, I managed to stumble across it in two separate places. One was hidden deep within a forest, and the other was just sat there by the side of the road. It was a good weekend…

What I hadn’t realised was that the Fly Agaric can start off looking orange in colour, and then change to red. I also didn’t know that it got its name, possibly, from medieval times when it was broken up and put into milk to stupefy flies. In addition, I didn’t know that its white scales can be washed off. What I did know was that it is toxic. I suppose that its bright red warning colour should be a clue, however, children might not think so. Its association with fairies could lure youngsters to picking them. Apparently, it also has folk lore connections to Father Christmas, which make an interesting read.