In the weeks around the winter solstice, you can often find Amanita muscaria mushrooms (fly agaric) tucked under evergreen trees. These mushrooms are quite beautiful, but toxic. They are called “fly agaric” because they were once mixed with milk to kill flies. But did you know that reindeer love to eat them? In the far north where reindeer roam, the Sami people, indigenous to the northern parts of Scandinavia, are known to have used the fly agaric’s hallucinogenic effects for spiritual purposes.

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I was out hiking in Napa when I found some of my favorite mushrooms, Amanita velosa the Springtime Amanita (correction, it is part of Section Vaginata). These are ectomycorrhizal mushrooms that associate with Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) and can fruit from winter well into the spring if there’s enough rain. Under conifers and oaks you’ll also see Amanita vernicoccora, which has similar features but is generally larger and has a brighter yellow cap. .The Destroying Angels in section Phalloi

The Fly Agaric or Amanita muscaria is by far the most recognizable mushroom in the world. Its iconic red cap with white dots is known around the world as a classic “toadstool”. In popular culture it is associated with Christmas/Santa Claus, Vikings in a berserker rage, and as a trippy mind altering mushroom (Through the Looking Glass/Alice in Wonderland). However, not all the popular assumptions made about this mushroom are true. . In my most recent podcast episode I debunk some of the most comm