Docwra's Ditch Fly Agaric!
After hunting all over the place we finally found some Fly Agarics growing along Docwra's Ditch on Dunwich Heath!
The classic fairy tale toadstool, Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) is found in woodlands, parks and heaths with scattered trees, typically growing beneath birch trees or pines and spruces.
When young, Fly agaric it is covered by a white membranous veil, which rips as the stem pushes up and the bright red cap expands. The remains of the veil skirt the stem and also leave white, wart-like flakes on the cap.
The red and white spotted fruiting bodies can usually be seen between late summer and early winter. The mycelium of Fly agaric often forms a symbiotic relationship with the trees around it, wrapping around the roots and supplying them with nutrients taken from the soil. In exchange, the fungus receives sugars produced by the trees.
Traditionally used as an insecticide, the cap of Fly agaric was broken up and sprinkled into saucers of milk to keep the flies at bay. Fly agaric is now known to contain ibotenic acid, which both attracts and kills flies. Ibotenic acid, along with the other toxins in Fly agaric, muscarine and muscimol, have psychoactive properties. Despite serious safety concerns, fly agaric mushroom is sometimes used as a hallucinogen.
Docwra's Ditch Fly Agaric!
After hunting all over the place we finally found some Fly Agarics growing along Docwra's Ditch on Dunwich Heath!
The classic fairy tale toadstool, Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) is found in woodlands, parks and heaths with scattered trees, typically growing beneath birch trees or pines and spruces.
When young, Fly agaric it is covered by a white membranous veil, which rips as the stem pushes up and the bright red cap expands. The remains of the veil skirt the stem and also leave white, wart-like flakes on the cap.
The red and white spotted fruiting bodies can usually be seen between late summer and early winter. The mycelium of Fly agaric often forms a symbiotic relationship with the trees around it, wrapping around the roots and supplying them with nutrients taken from the soil. In exchange, the fungus receives sugars produced by the trees.
Traditionally used as an insecticide, the cap of Fly agaric was broken up and sprinkled into saucers of milk to keep the flies at bay. Fly agaric is now known to contain ibotenic acid, which both attracts and kills flies. Ibotenic acid, along with the other toxins in Fly agaric, muscarine and muscimol, have psychoactive properties. Despite serious safety concerns, fly agaric mushroom is sometimes used as a hallucinogen.