Amanita muscaria. I think this is the prototype for the Disney-esque toadstool seen in cartoons and movies. Ibotenic acid and muscimol are the moderately toxic neurotoxins from this fungi.
Quintessential Toadstool
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Garden Photographs of the Year 2023Garden Photographs of the Year 2023
Click the link and enjoy some spectacular images.
Competition 16 Results – International Garden Photographer of the Year (igpoty.com)
Chaparral Monkey FlowerChaparral Monkey Flower
I bet there are many so called “monkey flowers” around the world and despite the absence of monkeys in southern California this is our bush monkey flower, Diplacus aurantiacus. It is perhaps our most common and distinctive flowering plant in the coastal chaparral. Photo courtesy of S. Castellana.
Funeral Poppy?Funeral Poppy?
Shirley Poppies are most commonly mixtures of pink and red. This year the most unusual color that appeared was a single plant with purple-gray flowers and wrinkled petals. Somber, but striking nonetheless. The red string is a marker so seed can be collected in a few weeks.