Mushrooms are some of the most interesting and diverse wildlife found in nature. In fact, there are so many different varieties that no one can really count: There are a documented 10,000 species of mushrooms in North America *alone*, and researchers also think that there are plenty left undiscovered. These fungi also have a place in human literary history as well, and not just because Lewis Carroll basically used them as a device to get a small girl to take drugs in Alice in Wonderland. Historically, mushrooms have always had a place in European and American folklore, and they are used to evoke images of pixies, enchanted burrows, hollow hills, elves, and other elements of fairyland. It’s not hard to see why: Most mushrooms are comprised of colors and shapes that make them look otherworldly. Below are 31 amazing photographs of different species of mushrooms, all of which look like they were taken directly out of a fairytale. **That is, all of them except for #17: That one was definitely taken directly out of Marioland.**
