Fly Agaric Mushroom. Photo by Robert Dryja

Dressed and collecting mushrooms. Courtesy/U.S. Forest Service

By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos

We previously have reviewed a pond in the wilderness unexpectedly turning a bright red for a couple of weeks. This is a rare event that may occur only every few years.  

However bright red colors can appear annually for a couple of weeks. A special bright red also occurs on one day of the year. The mushroom in Picture 1 is called “fly agaric”. A fly agaric mushroom emerges from the earth as a bright red cone that is covered with white patches. This cone then may spread apart to create a relatively flat cap. This mushroom appears each year during the summer for a couple of weeks.

Fly agaric is often found growing under conifer trees. They live in a symbiotic relationship. The mushroom’s threadlike mycellium grows underground and connects to the roots of a tree. The mushroom and tree then  provide complimentary nutrients to one another. Conifer trees remain green through the winter and so symbolize continuing life. Historically, people in northern Europe could preserve mushrooms collected in the summer by hanging them on conifers to dry. A conifer decorated with colorful mushrooms in winter was a precursor to the Christmas trees of today. 

The color and shape of this mushroom also was inspiration for artists to answer a question. How did Santa Claus look and dress for that one special day of the year: Christmas Eve? Neither fly agaric nor Santa Claus are slim. Both are portly in shape. Santa dresses in bright red clothing with a white trim, very similar to the mushroom. He then is very distinctive as he rides his slaigh to deliver presents to good little boys and girls.  

Although not as colorful as the fly agaric mushroom, there are other species of mushrooms that emerge during the fall and winter. The yellowish-brown enokitake is called the winter mushroom. It can be found on tree trunks that are on slopes with a southern exposure to sunlight. Just enough local warmth is created to permit the growth of these species even while other nearby areas have snow and are below freezing. Like the fly agaric, the enokitake mushroom can symbolize life continuing, even when other kinds of plant life have faded away for the winter.

An elf carrying a mushroom. Courtesy photo