Portrait: Amanita muscaria

Very interesting Fungus. I have not seen one like it.. Is this edible. Nice light

Thanks, Mark and Jack! This one isn't edible, Mark, though as Jack's comment suggests, it's said to be hallucinogenic if you can survive the rather powerful toxins. From a photographer's point of view, it's a very good thing that they're toxic--mushroom pickers leave them alone, so we get to enjoy them in the woods. A friend gave me this one just when I was figuring out how to use a speedlight, and it turns out that mushrooms are much more patient at posing than friends or dogs. 

Beautiful work, Leslie. Is it edible?

Thanks, Emmanuel! This one's toxic--a feast only for the eyes. But the nice thing is that it is so distinctively marked that people don't accidentally poison themselves with it. It's also surprisingly large--this particular one was about 18 cm wide.