Photos By Gail

I never imagined that I would have to go all the way to Skagway, Alaska — or rather, the nearby ghost town of  Dyea — to see an Alice-in-Wonderland-style magic mushroom; but that is where saw it.

The scientific name for these fairy tale toadstools is Amanita Muscaria, with the common name of Fly Agaric. In humans, ingestion of Amanita Muscaria is not usually fatal, but it tends to cause severe stomach upset and, sometimes, hallucinations. Animals learn to avoid them, but some humans actively seek them out. Be aware, however that they are not the same as the species more commonly known as magic mushrooms, Psilocybe cubensis, and others of that genus. Good to know!