fly agaric

amanita muscaria

• Probably our most familiar toadstool
   
• The fruiting body can be up to 20cm across and 30cm tall
   
• As it matures, the brilliant scarlet cap opens and is covered with white, wart-like spots

Although some rodents eat this fungus, it is highly poisonous to humans, and ingestion of only a few of these toadstools can be fatal... look, but don’t touch!
 
If you find one that looks a bit rough around the edges, then it is likely to have been up for some time, please do not record it.
 

Where found

Widespread throughout British Isles, on light soils in mixed woodland and heaths among birch and pine.
 

Record seasonal events

You can help scientists monitor the effect of climate change on fly agaric by telling us the date when you first see it where you live

• The fruiting bodies (the bit you can see) appear in late summer
   
• They can usually be seen through to the first frosts of winter