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What is this? The vivid orange cap offers a strong clue

The broken mushroom shows several clear features together: a vivid orange cap, white gills and a sheath-like base to the stem. The combination makes the group unusually clear here.

Photograph submitted by the reader

This is fly agaric, Amanita muscaria. The cap colour, white gills, white stem and clear veil remains at the base fit well. White spots on the cap can be sparse or almost washed away, so their absence does not rule out fly agaric.

September is a normal time to find this species in woodland in Västernorrland, Sweden. It is poisonous, so do not collect it for food. If it is where children or a dog can reach it, remove the fruiting body with gloves and put it in general waste, but expect more mushrooms from the same mycelium later in autumn.

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  1. Original reader contribution ↗Reader question
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