Young fly agaric in autumn by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

About "Young fly agaric in autumn"

by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

About the artwork

The fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) is a conspicuous mushroom, common in the lowlands. Fly agaric grows mostly in deciduous forests, in close association with birch, sweet chestnut, oak, beech, as well as pine and spruce.

The best-known appearance of the fly agaric is a dark red cap with white dots. The white dots are remnants of the overall envelope (velum universale) in which the mushroom was 'trapped' before emerging from the ground. These wash off the cap fairly quickly in rainy weather. Fly agaric can occur from July until late autumn.

The whole mushroom contains active substances, but their concentrations are highest in the red cap. Besides the toxic muscarinic, it contains muscimol, muscazone and ibotenic acid. The toxicity of this mushroom is often overestimated; no adverse effects are expected from touching it. Nevertheless, eating a whole mushroom can be fatal in a few hours for a small dog, for example.

Some substances in the fly agaric have an intoxicating or hallucinogenic effect. For this reason, the fungus has long been used by various peoples in rituals, including in Lapland where sometimes one fly agaric was exchanged for one reindeer. The fly agaric is also mentioned as an ingredient of witches' ointment.

Mushrooms like the fly agaric, sometimes stand in a circle. Again, the cause of this can be found underground, at the fungus gland. When a mycelium grows, it does so in all directions. When it runs out of nutrients in the centre of the mycelium, that part dies. This creates an open space in the centre of the mycelium. Only when the mushrooms grow out can you see the witch's circle.