Wednesday, December 2, 2020

The elusive Fliegenpilz

 

It was a fine and sunny Sunday morning in the Italian Dolomites


We were hiking in the Dolomites, near Soprapolzano (Oberbozen) Italy when 

two handsome young Wald Polizei Officers (Forest Wardens) came charging down a mountain, ready to arrest us. 

Are you hunting mushrooms? Yes

 Now we WE MUST ARREST YOU! 

But dear officers, what I meant was that I am hunting mushrooms with my camera. I am looking for the elusive little Fliegenpilz. You see it was Sunday and picking mushrooms is VERBOTEN on Sundays. 


We had a difficult time convincing the officers that we were looking for Fliegenpilze to photograph. They noted that there were no Fliegenpilze in the area. They were almost right because these two were hiding very nicely. 



The amanita muscari toadstool is known to many children. It is so attractive but oh so poisonous.


 Did you know that this mushroom can be used as an insecticide? It kills flies if crushed and then sprinkled with milk. 

 Siberian Shamans use them for inducing a condition, similar to extreme alcohol intoxication. 

Often poisonous plants can also be used as medicine...could they be a cure? 
But for what? 

Stay healthy and happy dear friends, 

Gina 


4 comments:

  1. How interesting! And how vigilant the Forest Wardens were. No hunting mushrooms on a Sunday. I wonder how that law came about. They are pretty mushrooms, in spite of their deadliness to humans.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Lorrie,
      I believe it is to give mushrooms a chance for survival. Even though this mushroom is poisonous, no human has ever died from accidentally ingesting part of it.

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  2. We visited Trentino, also in the Dolomites, several years ago. It was during the mushroom season, and in the market square a large variety of fungi was displayed on several stalls. Before being sold, they were all first checked by inspectors to made sure that each one was edible, and not poisonous.
    I love to see those red mushrooms - amanita muscari, we have them here too, but as a child I was warned by my mother "do not to touch the red ones."

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  3. Dear Rosemary,
    The Italians do it best. They love their fungi. I always associate mushroom hunting with hearing the Cuckoo in the Spring.

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