photo #3283907

@ologies: What kind of TRIP is Santa on, really?Fly agaric mushrooms are toxic to humans but edible to reindeer. Reindeer love hallucinogenic red and white toadstools (Amanita muscaria) so much, they will guard their little cache of magic mushrooms under the snow.Some theorize this is the inspiration for Santa and his flying reindeer. According to the BBC:“In the past, Sámi shamans took fly agaric in their visionary rituals. They even drank urine from reindeer believed to be under the influence.”So people indigenous to Northern Scandinavia (near the NORTH POLE) and their REINDEER would ingest magic RED AND WHITE mushrooms and give GIFTS of advice from ANOTHER DIMENSION. I’m starting to like this story more than the age-old one about indentured elves and leaving a frosty cola out for your winter Sugar Daddy. This week, Ologies is running an encore episode of Mycology (MUSHROOMS) in memory of Dr. Tom Volk who passed away November 28, 2022.🍄🎄🎅🍄🎄🎅Photos via @reindeerandfishingranch