Gardening Antics: Surprising Mushrooms Popping Up In Your Backyard
Uncovering Familiar Funghi: Recognizing Garden Mushrooms That Sprout in Your Backyard
When you're sweating it out in your backyard, sprucing things up, you might stumble upon some unexpected guests: mushroom buddies growing in your territory. Here's a quick field guide to help you decide whether to keep those mushrooms in your garden for a whimsical vibe or bust them.
It's all fun and games until you encounter potentially hazardous mushroom species. These could be a danger to curious kids or pets if they happen to munch on them.
So, let's dive in and familiarize ourselves with some of the most prevalent mushrooms you can find in your very own backyard!
Dangerous Mushrooms Growing in Your Sward
Most mushrooms you'll likely come across in your yard aren't toxic, but there are plenty of poisonous species to keep an eye on. While they might be harmless to your garden, they may pose a threat to young children and pets if ingested.
Turf Imbiber - Panaeolus foenisecii
Meet the turf imbiber, a common mushroom found in lawns and grassy zones. This little guy starts out as a cone-shaped cap, expanding into a flatter form as it matures. Its gills are initially light, gradually darkening and turning a grayish hue as it reaches maturity. You might notice its cap taking on various shades of brown, tending to sport a darker tint in the middle. Although the turf imbiber isn't intensely toxic, it's best to steer clear of consuming it, especially for young children and pets, as it can cause more severe reactions to their systems.
Green-spored False Parasol - Chlorophyllum molybdites
This green-spored parasol, often called the false parasol, is a widespread find in lawns and grassy zones. Its cream-colored cap measures between 5 to 30 centimeters in diameter, initially convex before flattening out as it matures. The ring around its stem is usually present. It's usually scaled with darker-colored patches.
The gills begin as white but turn into a greenish-gray hue as they ripen. The green-spored parasol bears a striking resemblance to popular edible parasol species, but its green-spored underside helps distinguish it. This toxic fungus is one of North America's most common causes of mushroom poisoning and can lead to severe gastrointestinal issues if consumed.
Squatter – Conocybe apala
The squatter mushroom is relatively common in grassy areas, but it's incredibly fragile, often drooping, drying out, or breaking apart shortly after fruiting. This mushroom has a white bell-shaped cap and a thin, weak stem. Some scientists suspect that the squatter could contain toxins, as many species within the Conocybe genus can be quite harmful and even deadly.
Luminous Tripper – Amanita muscaria
This mushroom, known as the fly agaric, is hard to miss with its vibrant red cap and iconic white spots. It typically grows under birch, pine, and spruce trees. Despite its beautiful appearance, the fly agaric contains psychoactive compounds like ibotenic acid and muscimol, which can trigger intense hallucinations, gastrointestinal issues, seizures, delirium, comas, and even death in severe cases.
Devouring Angel – Amanita virosa
The devouring angel, or death angel, is infamous for its lethal nature. It contains several deadly amatoxins and is one of the most poisonous mushrooms out there. This white mushroom sports a cap ranging between 5 to 10 centimeters in size and starts out egg-shaped before maturing into a more convex or flat shape.
The stem reaches between 10 to 15 centimeters and is garlanded with a ring around the upper stalk. This mushroom may pop up in your yard, especially near old tree roots on the outskirts of forests.
Munchable Mushrooms Growing in Your Sward
Although these toxic fungi pose threats, there are plenty of mushrooms you can find in your yard that are generally harmless – or even edible! Remember, it's crucial to identify any wild mushrooms correctly and consult with an experienced mycologist before consuming them.
Tofu Look-alikes – Puffball Mushrooms
A variety of puffball mushrooms can invade your lawn, but the two most common are the common puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) and the giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea). Both have mild flavors and soft, spongy textures similar to tofu.
However, consume puffballs only when they're young, with white inner flesh. Proper identification is a must to avoid consuming poisonous look-alikes. Common symptoms of mushroom poisonings include vomiting and chills.
Circus Performers - Marasmius oreades
Fairy ring mushrooms stand out from the crowd, creating circular patterns in yards and grassy areas as they grow. The growth pattern, known as a fairy ring, arises when the mycelium underground expands outwards from a central point, causing mushrooms to sprout in circular shapes.
The caps of these mushrooms measure around 2 to 5 centimeters in diameter and are tan, with white gills beneath. They're considered edible but have many toxic look-alikes. Always make sure of a mushroom's identification before consuming.
Cosmic Flare – Phallus impudicus
Brace yourself when contemplating the mature form of the cosmic flare – it's quite noticeable, with a long, white, cylindrical stem and a slimy, greenish-brown conical cap often ridged with deep divots. The cosmic flare appears in lawns, with a preference for areas covered in wood chips and mulch.
Though the cosmic flare is technically edible, its foul odor is hard to stomach. However, in its immature form, the cosmic flare forms a spherical white 'egg' that grows underground. This part, known as a witch's egg, boasts a flavor and texture comparable to radishes.
Ink Squirter – Coprinus comatus
Aptly named, the Ink Squirter sports a distinctive appearance and smell in its mature form. It has a long cylindrical cap covered in shaggy scales and a slimy, greenish-brown conical cap, often with deep divots. The Ink Squirter can be found in lawns, especially in areas covered with wood chips and mulch.
This mushroom is edible but only when it's young and before it starts dissolving into an inky black liquid. Be cautious of consuming alcohol while eating the Ink Squirter, as it can trigger an uncomfortable, but not fatal condition called Coprinic syndrome.
Lawn Greens – Agaricus campestris
The lawn greens can be found in pastures and grassy lawns. Their caps range between 1 to 4 inches wide, with a cream to light brown color. When you scratch or bruise the skin, it should not stain yellow, like its poisonous look-alike Agaricus xanthodermus.
Beneath the caps are pink gills in younger mushrooms, which turn brown as they reach maturity. The white stem is sturdy and may have a subtle ring around it. Although this mushroom belongs to the same family as the button mushroom and is quite tasty and versatile in dishes, it has several highly poisonous look-alikes, such as the Devouring Angel.
Exercise caution whenever harvesting and consuming wild mushrooms, and always cook them thoroughly to avoid gastrointestinal issues.
Getting Rid of mushrooms from your Backyard
Most mushrooms growing in your yard are generally harmless and contribute positively to your backyard ecosystem. However, if you have young children or pets, you may want to keep them away from potentially toxic mushrooms.
Though mowing over mushrooms with a lawnmower seems like a good plan to remove them, it's not the most effective method, and it could worsen the problem. Mushrooms are simply the fruiting bodies of an entirely larger, underground fungal organism. Mowing over your lawn may not prevent future mushroom growth, and it could spread spores around, leading to more mushrooms popping up.
Using fungicides to remove lawn mushrooms may seem like a viable option, but they're not always effective and can be toxic to kids and animals exposed to them.
The best way to remove mushrooms from your yard is by pulling them out by hand as soon as they sprout. The longer you wait, the more time they have to develop their spores and spread further. When removing mushrooms from your yard, try to pull out as much of the fungal body as possible. Treat the area with a baking soda solution or soapy water to raise the pH of the soil and inhibit mushroom growth.
Mushrooms love moisture, so if your yard doesn't drain well, improve the soil's drainage and decrease moisture levels by aerating your lawn. Cut back on irrigation, too. Consistent watering is crucial for lawn care, but it keeps the mushrooms in your yard thriving.
Remove any organic matter, such as animal waste and decomposing leaf mulch, from your yard to reduce the elements that mushrooms crave.
- Mushrooms, such as the turf imbiber (Panaeolus foenisecii) and green-spored false parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites), found in lawns and grassy zones can be potentially harmful to young children and pets if ingested.
- On the other hand, mushrooms like the circle performers (Marasmius oreades), known as fairy ring mushrooms, can be found in yards and grassy areas and are considered edible but have many toxic look-alikes.
- To maintain a balanced lifestyle that includes gardening and enjoying nature, it's crucial to identify mushrooms correctly, consult with an experienced mycologist before consuming them, and remove potentially toxic species from your home-and-garden to ensure the safety of kids and pets.
