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 poisonous to humans.
 
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.
 

When to look for

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