Even though it is toxic, fly agaric is one of those mushrooms that are hard to ignore. They are big, beautiful red cap (sexy!), clean white freckles, white lace on equally white slender leg. And they grow in packs. Here are some pictures I've taken in last two weeks while hunting for other mushrooms.
Even when their freckles sometimes are washed away and the color can bleach a bit, it adds orange to the mix, which makes it look like lava.
I've not found an agaric on my hunts, but I've seen MANY other Amanita sp.
This mushroom, while toxic, is also a hallucinogen and is potentially the inspiration for the mushrooms in Mario. But, before someone decides to go try and trip on one of these beauties, the trip has been described as "a literal hell, with the sensation of my skin being on fire the most memorable part of the experience" Not to mention, with an LD50 that could be reasonably consumed, this is a "learn from your ancestors not experience" situation.
Beautiful pictures!
Sounds like fun... if you are the devil :o)
I totally agree, if that's what someone is looking for, nature has much less horrifying ways to get there.