Amanita-muscaria_22b

Description:

Amanita muscaria (L.) Lam., syn: Agaricus muscarius L., Venenarius muscarius (L.) Earle ex MurrillFly Agaric, Fly Amanita, DE: FliegenpilzSlo.: rdea municaDat.: Oct. 6. 2017Lat.: 46.40416 Long.: 13.70932Code: Bot_1093/2017_DSC9461Picture file names: from Amanita-muscaria_raw_20 to Amanita-muscaria_raw_30.Habitat: forest edge; growing in it under dense Picea abies canopies and outside of it on alpine pasture; all of them in a circle of radius of about 6 m; calcareous, old alluvial ground; almost flat terrain; in shade and on almost full sun (more orange pilei); protected by tree canopies and exposed to precipitations; average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 4 - 6 deg C, elevation 960 m (3.150 feet), alpine phytogeographical region.Substratum: soil.Place: Zadnja Trenta valley, about 50 m southwest of the terminal parking place of the dirt road to Zapodn place, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC.Comments: Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) is probably the best known mushroom at all. If not the most beautiful, than it is certainly the most popular. Everybody, from kids on, knows it is poisonous (although hardly deadly). It is indeed a beautiful creature. Every encounter with this signal-red marvel is a happy experience in spite of the fact that it is quite a common mushroom, at least in the Upper Soa River region. Frequently these mushrooms appear in groups. Nevertheless, I've never seen as many together as in this observation. There were more than 70 pilei in a circle of about 6 m radius: from already decayed ones to barely appearing white/red 'eggs' still mostly hidden in grass or under fallen (Norway) spruce needles. Good we are in the era of digital photography; otherwise the cost of the film spent would be serious!Ref.: (1) J. Breitenbach, F. Kraenzlin, Eds., Fungi of Switzerland, Vol.4. Verlag Mykologia (1995), p 150. (2) M. Bon, Parey's Buch der Pilze, Kosmos (2005), p 296. (3) R. Lueder, Grundkurs Pilzbestimmung, Quelle & Meyer (2008), p 305.