Mushroom Encyclopedia - Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) #3

Amanita Muscaria is a mushroom variety that can be found almost everywhere in the northern hemisphere. The fruit-bodies have a distinctive look - bright red or yellow caps, speckled with white spots (btw, those spots are washed off of the cap when it rains) - wherein the mycel itself forms a symbiosis with trees; Amanita Muscaria can be found near Birches, Pines or Firs, in North/South America, all of Europe, northern Asia and western Alaska.

The vast majority of mycology sources denote Amanita Muscaria as poisonous and it is barely used as a psychedelic inebriant. The potency of the mushrooms is not predictable and - just like with magic mushrooms - varies greatly and induces an uncertain high (or not, is has been reported that some mushrooms had no effect at all).

Numerous traditional cultures made/make use of this (highly underrated) mushroom with its psychoactive substances muscimol (also known as muscamol) and ibotenic acid - they appreciated the psychedelic effects whereas the latter nations demoted it to a fly repellent, hence the commonly known name Fly Agaric. Zamnesia.com

Photo source: Pinterest

See also:

1. Mushroom Encyclopedia - Blue mushroom (Entoloma hochstetteri) #1
2. Mushroom Encyclopedia - Peach Mushroom (Rhodotus Palmatus) #2