Fly Agaric

Description:

Caps are 7-20 cm across, hemispherical to flat. Covered with white to buff, cottony patches. Cap is yellow-orange to bright red. The yellow-orange variety is the dominant in the Great Lakes region, whereas the red is absent around the Great Lakes. Gills are free and white to cream coloured. Spore print is white. Widespread (worldwide) and very common. Poisonous.

Habitat:

Seen in woodlands or beside isolated trees. Especially favours birch and pine cover.

Notes:

This one was found in the shade of a sprouting birch. The little one was about 2 feet from the two larger ones. There seems to be a little debate over what the true Amanita mascaria is. In the Lone Pine field guide Mushrooms of Ontario and Eastern Canada, Amanita muscaria can be yellow-orange, whereas wikipedia gives a variety of subspecies for the different coloured caps. The bright red cap seems to be common everywhere else, and is generally taken as the staple Amanita mascaria.