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Hallucinogenic Beauty


Hallucinogenic Beauty
Photo Information
Copyright: Janice Dunn (Janice) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113] (18648)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-04-29
Categories: Fungi
Camera: Canon EOS 30d, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM
Exposure: f/4, 1/100 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Fly Agaric - Amanita muscaria 2. [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-04-29 4:09
Viewed: 1051
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Red Cap Mushrooms

Today I visited my son who lives at Paremoremo (Pa-rema-remo) surrounded by native bush with many different types of ferns and tree ferns, native trees, bushes, and scrub. I photographed the mushrooms last year, and I’ve been waiting for them to tell me that, “The red mushrooms are back!”

So today, my little 3 1/2 year old grandson, Caleb, took me along to see the mushrooms. He was so excited calling out to 'Nan' whenever he saw another one popping out of the ground. And I even had him taking a couple of photos too.

It has been raining off and on for the last 24 hours, and the ground was quite wet, and the weather cooler too.

Most of the Amanita muscaria were growing under about 12 Pine Trees (Pinus Radiata) at the top end of the bush but this one and a few others were growing about 100 metres further down the land under some ferns. They are bright red and of various sizes. Some were just appearing through the undergrowth and the tops of some of the new young ones were all creamy coloured. As they grow the cream top splits and this is how the white warts form on top.

There is considerable interest in these mushrooms because they are poisonous and hallucinogenic. Most fruiting bodies contain two toxins, ibotenic acid and muscimol. Ingestion of these toxins results in "expanded perception," talking to God, macropsia (perceiving objects as enlarged), rapid heartbeat, and dry mouth.

They are hallucinogenic and psychoactive, and studies in rats have shown that the inactivation of this area of the brain through the use of muscimol and ibotenate will inhibit fear learning and the startle reflex. Eating the mushrooms seems to turn off the fear emotion.

Notes from: botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/dec99.html

No, I didn’t cook any up for dinner!!

Make - Canon
Model - Canon EOS 30D
RAW
ExposureTime - 1/100 seconds
FNumber - 4.00
ISOSpeedRatings - 400
DateTimeOriginal - 2007:04:29 12:41:04
Flash - Not fired, compulsory flash mode
FocalLength - 105 mm
ramthakur, Debz, thor68, gypsygirl58, fiyo, saguzar, TAZ, peter_stoeckl has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To bobcat08: DarkJanice 1 08-20 13:27
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Janice this is a beauty very photogenic mushroom with good clarity nice details and lovely light superb composition. tfs rgds Necip.

What an amazing capture, Janice!
I mean, what could be a better nature picture than that?
Hats off to you!
TFS.

  • Great 
  • Debz Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 516 W: 0 N: 846] (3307)
  • [2007-04-29 12:12]

Hi Janice, an amazing colourful mushroom. The natural bush there must be interesting. Very colour and colour tones throughout all set in a very nice composition.
tfs
debz

Hi Janice,
it seems it was hiding - this looks wonderful, like fresh from a fairy-tail.
I like the freshness and the colours, thanks
Sabine - wishnugaruda

  • Great 
  • thor68 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 792 W: 138 N: 1312] (5642)
  • [2007-04-29 13:04]

i see colorsssssss..*g*
wonderful shot, janice, and interesting to see
them on the other side of the earth, too! :-)
i have seen them here a couple years ago, but never had a camera with me -
i guess i will have to go in the woods more often towards the end of the year.
nice colors compositon with the beautiful, but dangerous mushroom peaking through the fern.
well done & take care, thor.

  • Great 
  • wuta Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 856 W: 2 N: 617] (2142)
  • [2007-04-29 14:04]

Hello Janice , Fantastic shot It's a beautifull mushroom ,great compositie colours sharpnes light and bg , tfs Greetings Teunie .

Hi Janice,
This is colourful!! Great image of this Red-cap! Excellent sharpness and details and I love the surrounding vegetation. Beautiful composition! Well done and TFS
Cheers Tina :-)

  • Great 
  • fiyo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 987 W: 5 N: 2762] (10618)
  • [2007-05-02 18:54]

Hello Janice,
Very nice close up.POV,lighting,details,colors,exposure and framing are wonderful.TFS

Wow Janice! What a beautiful picture! It seems like it is coming directly from a fairy tale!!! It looks like some trolls could be running in this picture ;) (Do I ate too much of them, lol). Colors, composition, details, POV and DOF are superb! I like the way it is half hidden between those nice ferns. This is a great shot MF! Thanks,
Claudine

Nicely composed and captured image, good sharpness and DOF. I like it, or am I hallucinating. Ian

Hola Janice
Una foto preciosa, me gusta como se ve ese hongo colorido contra los helechos mojados. Muy lindo el encuadre.
Saludos
Hernán

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2007-05-08 4:01]

Hello Janice,
What a nice composition for my prefered mushroom.
The "+++" : vertical composition, subject, POV, colors, sharpness, DOF, exposure, useful note...
The "-" : nothing...
Congratulations my dear friend and TFS.

It caught my eye immediatedly Janice. The vivid colour amongst the dead fern is very striking. Well done.

Hi Janice,
what an eye catching image, very nicely composed. The mushroom emerging out of the dark and being half hidden between the ferns makes it even more attractive. Splendid colours. Interesting to note that Amanita muscaria which is very well known from Europe is not only distributed over the northern hemisphere but also to New Zealand. In Alpine countries these mushrooms used to be sliced and cooked in milk in order to attract and to kill flies. Hence their name "Fliegenpilz" - flies' mushroom.
Other possible applications as making fighters purposefully go beserk have been reported from ancient Germanic tribes - quite similar to what you are citing in your notes. Luckily that application seems to have been be widely forgotten since about two thousand years ago. Now everybody loves these mushrooms for their beautiful appearance, but no one collects them. Isn't that wonderful?
Thank you for this pretty image.
With thanks, and best regards,
Peter

Hi Janice,

You have used 400 ISO. It must be dark in the woods. Nice capture. This fungi and the old brown ferns. A beautiful compo. A real autum compo. Nice colors. I like the red cap mushrooms. Well done. Regards and TFS Bob

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