Fairy Rings

[Toad]

Hello

We returfed our front lawn this year and we used compost from our local recycling centre.
We have now got a fairy ring and the lawn is covered in little toadstools. I am inclined to just leave it as I like the look but thought I better check that it is safe to do so.

I have a 3 year old daughter that spends hours scratching about out there and I just want to check that she will be safe.

If it is not safe to do so any ideas for how I can get rid of these safely.

I can get some photos if needed for id purposes.

Thanks in advance

Toad x

[NickCantle]

Hey Toad, A warm welcome to WAB

Fairy Ring huh? Well, it could be totally harmless, but there are a few deadly mushrooms which form rings on lawns. Pictures of the cap, the underside, and the stem would help us identify it but we can never guarantee an ID from a photograph. We can do our best though!

Nick

[fairplay]

I'm very surprised that you have a 'fairy ring' already' if you only re-turfed the lawn this year - how big is it across ?

As Nick says, lots of other fungi can form 'rings', some particularly nasty, so you are right to be concerned.

Good sharp close up photos always help to ID a species and take note of how the gills are attached to the stem.

Neil.

[Toad]

Hi

The ring is probably just short of half a metre across. I will take a photo tomorrow so that you can see it.

The mushrooms that are coming up are not near the ring and they seem to come up be there for a day and then rot away but i suppose that could be how wet it currently is. Most of them that are forming are no bigger than a 5p piece but there does seem to be 3 types.

I have included some photos they are not the best as my camera is not the best in poor lighting and operated by a numpty lol. I'm sure it could do more if i knew how to use it. If these aren't suitable I'll try and get better ones in the morning.












Thanks for your help I really appreciate it.

Toad x

[fairplay]

Hi Toad x,

Looks like the ones with dark gills are a Mottle Gill of some sort, you also have a Conocybe sp. (with the brown gills), I can't think offhand what that pale yellow/brown specimen is, but the last photo almost certainly is the Fairy Ring mushroom - Marasmius oreades, despite the gills looking overcrowded and stem on the thick side.

Neil.

[Fungus Ken]

Originally Posted by fairplay

... but the last photo almost certainly is the Fairy Ring mushroom - Marasmius oreades, despite the gills looking overcrowded and stem on the thick side.

Neil.

Let me just translate that. "The last photo almost certainly is Marasmius oreades, despite some important characters being completely wrong for that species."

I think that by following your own thought process through there Neil you could confidently rule out Marasmius oreades. I think it is more likely to be a brown-spored species but I can't put my finger on it at the moment.

There seems to be an ink cap in the mix in the other photos too.

It's possible that some of these species could be mildly poisonous or cause alarming symptoms if ingested. But lawns that are not over-manicured are well-known for producing lots of little brown jobs and gardens also often contain plants with poisonous sap or berries so you have to get the danger into perspective.

I can understand the anxiety about potentially poisonous mushrooms, but my inclination would be to teach young children not to pick and eat things they find rather than try to eradicate every possible hazard. After all, they may well find similar things in other environments that you can't control, such as the local park.

Laburnum seeds, for example, are toxic and children do get admitted to hospital having mistaken them for peas. Children could find these in someone else's garden and be tempted to eat them unless they are taught that it is not safe to eat such things.

Ken

[Toad]

I agree Ken as I said in my op I am inclined to leave them there and there are quite a few known poisonous plants in our garden. She is normally very good (although she did copy me deadheading last week and pulled some healthy heads off lol) and we spend a lot of time out and about so we have been teaching her to look with her eyes not her hands.

Thanks for looking at my pictures for me