I love these beautiful mushrooms – Fly Amanitas.

To see these cheery mushrooms poking up after our autumn rains always makes me smile. We have a spot on our property where they appear in great numbers. Here is how Fly Amanitas, Amanita muscaria, look with they first appear.

Then they open up and reveal their true selves.

Here is one with a "baby" underneath.

Our golden retriever, Sunny, does his best not to step on them as he heads down into the forest.

These mushrooms have hallucinogenic qualities. It's possible to parboil the toxins out, I've been told by mushroom expert David Arora. I prefer just to watch them evolve. They make me happy to look at them!