Fly Agaric (Amanita muscari)

This fungus with its bright scarlet cap covered with distinctive white pyramidal warts and white gills is one of the easiest to spot. The white warts often wash off and the colour fades in rain. It is common and can be seen from late summer through to early winter. It frequently grows under birch forming a mutually beneficial relationship. It is poisonous so should not be picked or eaten.