The fantastic fly agaric

The red fly agaric is the classic fairy tale mushroom. It’s what you see in animated films and children’s books and on the front cover of books about the forest. It has a tall, stocky stalk, gills and a large red cap with white spots on top. It often grows in conifer forests, and even though they are obviously popular with slugs who like to nibble at them, you shouldn’t take them home for dinner. Fly agaric mushrooms are poisonous – its name even comes from its use as an insect poison – and even though they aren’t deadly, you shouldn’t experiment with it. The poison can also provoke hallucinations and, therefore, many tribes have used it as a kind of magical potion to connect wizards and shamans with the spirit world.