The hunt for the fairy toadstool

I think I have written here before about my interest in photographing fungi. They do fascinate me the way they just appear, mysterious and surrounded by tales of goblins, poisons and fairies. The obvious 'fairy toadstool' - the one of Brownie promises - is the Fly Agaric. Easily recognisable with its red and white cap starting bulbous and scarlet and eventually opening out flat in a faded orange. It screams danger and rightly so!

As the autumn gets a full hold we start to check out known areas for these very photogenic mushrooms. Sometimes we are lucky, other years we may be too early or too late. Sometimes we are rewarded with a newly emerged. It is a complete thrill to find them and even better if they are in an easily accessible spot.

This year we found a couple early on and then a few weeks later, thinking they were probably over, we almost missed the third one.

The Fly Agaric, forever my fairy toadstool.