GC1VZ1J The Mushroom Man Part 1) Amanita muscaria (Traditional Cache) in North West England, United Kingdom created by Fun-guy

This cache has been archived.

MrMagnaDefender: Time to archive the series due to a number of reasons which include a quarry built on top of them and also a local nutcase at the farm near number 5. Thanks for all the logs [:D]

GC1VZ1J ▼

A cache by Fun-guy Message this owner

Hidden : 7/15/2009

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

The Mushroom Man series has been designed to be fun and also show you some of the fungi which is in your area. Most fungi only come out in the autumn, but the caches can be enjoyed all year round. At no point on this series should unknown mushrooms be eaten. This is part 1 of the Mushroom Man series.

A large conspicuous mushroom, Amanita muscaria is generally common and numerous where it grows, and is often found in groups with basidiocarps in all stages of development. Fly agaric fruiting bodies emerge from the soil looking like a white egg, covered in the white warty material of the universal veil. Dissecting the mushroom at this stage will reveal a characteristic yellowish layer of skin under the veil which assists in identification. As the fungus grows, the red color appears through the broken veil and the warts become less prominent; they do not change in size but are reduced relative to the expanding skin area. The cap changes from globose to hemispherical, and finally to plate-like and flat in mature specimens.[37] Fully grown, the bright red cap is usually around 8–20 cm (3–8 in) in diameter, although larger specimens have been found. The red color may fade after rain and in older mushrooms. After emerging from the ground, the cap is covered with numerous small white to yellow pyramid-shaped warts. These are remnants of the universal veil, a membrane that encloses the entire mushroom when it is still very young. The free gills are white, as is the spore print. The oval spores measure 9–13 by 6.5–9 µm, and are non-amyloid, that is, they do not turn blue with the application of iodine.] The stipe is white, 5–20 cm high (2–8 in) by 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) wide, and has the slightly brittle, fibrous texture typical of many large mushrooms. At the base is a bulb that bears universal veil remnants in the form of two to four distinct rings or ruffs. Between the basal universal veil remnants and gills are remnants of the partial veil (which covers the gills during development) in the form of a white ring. It can be quite wide and flaccid with age. There is generally no associated smell other than a mild earthiness

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

va raq bs oevqtr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)