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The Real Deal


The Real Deal
Photo Information
Copyright: Steve Reekie (LordPotty) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1381 W: 144 N: 3872] (12503)
Genre: Fungi
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-05-12
Categories: Fungi
Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5
Exposure: f/4, 1/200 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): New Zealand Fungi [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-04-12 18:54
Viewed: 5244
Points: 24
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
If this image looks a little familiar to you its because I posted it on April 1st in a slightly different colour for an April Fools gag.
(See the bright green version here)
I thought I should now post the original shot (although I doubt it will earn anywhere as near as many points as the fake green one ;)

Here is some information about A.muscaria copied from Wikipedia:

Kingdom: Fungi
Subkingdom: Dikarya
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
Class: Agaricomycetes
Subclass: Agaricomycetidae
Order: Agaricales
Family: Amanitaceae
Genus: Amanita
Species: A. muscaria

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly Amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees. The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually deep red mushroom, one of the most recognizable and widely encountered in popular culture. Several subspecies, with differing cap colour have been recognised to date, including the brown regalis (considered a separate species), the yellow-orange flavivolata, guessowii, and formosa, and the pinkish persicina. Genetic studies published in 2006 and 2008 show several sharply delineated clades which may represent separate species.

Although generally considered poisonous, it has been consumed as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling in plentiful water. However, Amanita muscaria is now primarily famed for its hallucinogenic properties with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. It was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant existed beyond Siberia, however, such traditions are far less well-documented. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed the fly agaric was in fact the Soma talked about in the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; although this theory has been refuted by anthropologists, it gained common credence when first published in 1968.

The common name in English is thought to have been derived from its European use as an insecticide, when sprinkled in milk. The fly-killing agent is now known to be ibotenic acid. An alternative derivation proposes that the term fly- refers not to insects as such but rather the delirium resulting from consumption of the fungus. This is based on the medieval belief that flies could enter a person's head and cause mental illness.

(for more detailed information,see the rest of this article here A.muscaria)

Thanks for looking.
Cheers
Steve
jstewart, boreocypriensis, red45, matatur, Dis. Ac., BobH has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To gerhardt: Howdy!LordPotty 1 04-26 15:23
To BobH: ThanksLordPotty 2 04-24 03:06
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Critiques [Translate]

The real one is equally beautiful, Steve, but why can't there be green mushroom? :)
The real amanita has a lovely brown hat with those white dabs looking like decorative icing on a mouth-watering cake.
I will await your next prank on April 1, 2010.
Ram

Hi Steve,
I preferred the genetic aberration that you imported from the Emerald Isle to the land of the Kiwis. As you drank the dark brown stuff you created a hithertofore never seen Amanita. But I still would grumble about the bright background. I've been known to cheat by putting a dark jacket behind the "subject" to keep the background unobtrusive. But if you are a purist, that's a no-no. However, best of greetings from your ex-colonial northern neighbour.
Cheers,
John

Hi Steve,
Nice shot, great playing with lights and shadows, and sharp as razorblade in the focus area. I do not have any problems with the bright background, it isn't overexposed (except for one leave) - but somehow I prefer the "1st of April version", most probably because it's more unique, there was an idea behind the post-procession, while this one's "only" a nice documentation photo.
Have a happy Easter over there in the far South, friendly regards, László

Hi Steve, Yes the real one is perfect and it has a wondefully colored hat with nicely speckled with whitish whipped cream:)
TFS this one and Happy Easter MF!
Cheers,
Bayram

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2636 W: 74 N: 9091] (31094)
  • [2009-04-13 0:08]

Hi Steve!

I must say that I prefere green version :-) In this one reds are slightly too dark, but overall nice portrait of famous Amanita :-)

Ciao Steve, fantastic fungi with splendid colors, fine details and excellent sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • zetu Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 967 W: 26 N: 3888] (16941)
  • [2009-04-13 1:35]

Hello Steve
Nice shot. Well done.
Regards
Razvan

Well, this is more like it Steve, and a finely executed close up study indeed my friend, but the green one was much more pleasing for the eye!
Cheers,
Mehmet

hello steve
beautiful colours with good sharpness
great shot
greeting lou

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2791 W: 0 N: 6696] (25839)
  • [2009-04-14 1:09]

Hi Steve,
such a lovely one, not matter what. It makes me feel hungry as it looks like a big burger with seeds on top. Very beautiful colour and very good angle of dispaly. Really beautiful fungi and I dont think I have seen it here as I believe it does not exist here.
Nicely composed.
thanks a lot for liking my green lizard post ,and very much thanks for marking it.

Regards,
Foozi

Hi Steve,

nice picture from this Muscaria.
Fine colours and good pov.

Gert

  • Great 
  • BobH Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 40 W: 8 N: 192] (650)
  • [2009-04-21 18:00]
  • [+]

Steve you deceitful person! The real color comes out after all! Although one should never doubt that the green is possible somewhere in nature. Amusing post from a couple of weeks ago, very well done.

With this one you have given me a new vocab word- not an everyday thing. The etymology and history of entheogen are interesting themselves. From my dictionary- "ORIGIN 1970s: from Greek, literally ‘becoming divine within’; coined by an informal committee studying the inebriants of shamans." Might you have been on that committee? And what kind of study were they performing? In the 1970s it would have been purely academic, I'm sure.

For some very interesting history and basic chemistry of ibotenic acid/muscimol, check out this site- http://www.erowid.org/plants/amanitas/amanitas_info_ott.shtml. The recycling of the psychoactive components by drinking the urine of an intoxicated person is resourceful but rather weird. Wonder who first got that brilliant idea?

Thanks for feeding my coevolution/chemistry slant. Love to see more if you can find it- this is great stuff.

Bob

  •      
  • gerhardt Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1936 W: 244 N: 4106] (11620)
  • [2009-04-26 14:41]
  • [+]

Me mate from down under... and a bit to the east. How are you Steve? You have accumulated a very nice portfolio since the last time I had a look. Very nice work and keep up with April fool's antics... the green shroom made me look.

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