Fly Agaric

The Burke museum writes, “with its bright red cap and white 'polka dots,' the typical Amanita muscaria no doubt is the most widely recognized mushroom in the world.” Erika and I found a stand of these fungus at Woodard Bay Preserve on 23 November 2020. Fly Agaric naturally grows in forested areas of the Northern Hemisphere and has been introduced to the Southern. This mushroom is psychoactive, but poisonous—especially if you eat too much or prepare it poorly. To our surprise, a quick WEB search uncovers a thriving, apparently legal, commerce in Fly Agaric. We think eating such a mushroom is a fool’s mission—we urge you not to consume Fly Agaric. The hallucinogenic and effects of the mushroom are unpredictable. Although death is rare, it is possible. One clue to the wisdom of ingesting this mushroom is that one folk use is to kill flies (Wikipedia)—hence its name. The word Agaric is derived from a Middle-English word for mushroom.