Hello everyone, I have been silently lurking for awhile, awaiting the opportunity to find something worth ID'ing on these forums and I recently found just the fungi. I'm a bit of a dilettante when it comes to mycology, but I have a rabid sense of curiosity and I love the outdoors, so I expect to post semi frequently. This picture was taken on a ridge line near birch, alder, and cottonwood and was overlooking a very deep and marshy valley. Blue-bead lilies, bunchberry, wild climatis, columbine and a host of other flora grow everywhere here. To give you a geographical bearing, I took the picture near Postill Lake, a 40 minute drive from downtown Kelowna B.C. Sorry I didn't get a picture of the gills - I understand that's relatively important and my apologies if the picture isn't up to snuff, as I am no professional photographer. Look forward to participating in these fine forums. First crack at attaching an img.. Cross your fingers! :P
Welcome Somniferous! Things that look like this in B.C. (at least coastal B.C.) are usually either Amanita muscaria (typically yellow form in conifer association, red form in hardwood association), or Amanita aprica or Amanita gemmata. I forget which of the latter two is generally a spring mushroom, but aprica tends towards a much denser congregation of "warts" on the cap than A. muscaria. I've never seen A.frostiana - does it grow in B.C.? So.... pending any new info I'm going to put my five cents on A.muscaria. cheers! frog
I concur with muscaria. Aprica looks different and is usually in the spring. Gemmata and Frostiana I don't know but I've seen lots of muscaria that looked like yours. Thanks frog, for differentiating the hosts with the colours. What you said goes with what I've seen, but I never "put it all together" like you did.
Yeah I keep hoping to see the two colours with the matching trees proximate enough for a photo :-) There's a non-native birch near my house that becomes surrounded with tens of brilliant big red Amanitas every fall ... aside from that, I'm more used to running into the yellows.
There were copious quantities of red Amanita muscaria on the lawns at UBC. Going by my memory and what I just looked at on Goodgle Maps there is a low building at University Blvd and West Mall that has a lot growing on the lawn in a beautiful setting. Maybe the photo you want awaits you there. A note to recreational mushroom users: What was once thought to be one species, Amanita muscaria, is now known to be at least eight different species with varying chemistry and characteristics. In any case, the "high" obtained from North American species is, in general a "sick" high. Any euphoria you experience will likely be inthe form of relief, after the fact, that you have lived thorugh the most unpleasant experience. A word to the wise... Fish dr
hey somniferous i was headin down to that area for some searching and i was wondering if i could get in touch with you before goin down there.my email is soul_samari2000@hotmail.com thanks i am just trying to find a good patch and just need a good point in direction
Good advice fish dr. I will add that Amanita muscaria is actually a dissociative, rather than a hallucinogenic as most people consider it. Very unpleasant.
Is the Amanita the one the kids in the 60's named "shrooms" or is that another type. The reason for me asking is that I have been told there are some on my property on Lopez Island and to my understanding they if not poisonus will make you good and sick. What is the bioligical name for the "shroom"? barb
I'm not so sure about the tree hosts for the different colors of A. muscaria. A couple of weeks ago, in Delta, BC, I found mostly red specimens mixed with some yellow ones in an area of strictly deciduous trees, mainly birch and cottonwood.
