Magic Mushrooms

Now here is a sight I have not seen since I was a kid – an Amanita!

These mushrooms only grow near birch trees for some reason and certainly they are few around here!  Probably why I have not seen one of these since I was living in northern Germany decades ago.  So very exciting!

What is the big deal about these mushrooms?  Well, first they are very photogenic.  Secondly, they are the typical German mushroom, you can find them in designs, paintings and illustrations everywhere.  Ok, mostly from German sources.  Finally, they are hallucinogenic.

Yes, in the Alps we now have a mushroom just guaranteed to blow your little brain or what is left of it anyways.  Only problem is – they will kill you just as easily as giving you a chance to catch up with “old friends” in your mind.  In fact, in the Netherlands, they will be shortly voting to outlaw these little guys due to the high death rates associated with them.

I have been watching a patch of them for a week now and the little stoned snails which have been eating on them.  I will probably have to haul them to the garbage here this week – just to be sure some teenager does get their lips around one of these.