This autumn (2013) has been a good year for lawn mushrooms, and I’ve seen a great many varieties on the lawns which I maintain.
In 99% of cases, there is no need to worry about mushrooms appearing on your lawn. They are a sign of a healthy soil. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of a fungus which live on organic matter in the soil. They are the factory which decomposes this organic matter into chemicals usable by plants. Without a fungus in the soil, many plants would not be able to survive.
Many fungus live exclusively in symbiosis with a host plant, such as a tree. Silver birch trees are a great example of this and if you have a silver birch in your garden, you will certainly get a lot of fungal fruiting bodies appearing in your lawn as a result.
For a more detailed look at lawn mushrooms have a look at my previous post, why do I have mushrooms growing in my lawn? But for now, enjoy these pictures of the fascinating mushrooms I have found on some of the lawns I maintain.
Lawn mushrooms gallery
A Stropharia species. This one looks poisonous, and probably is.
This are probably yellow fieldcaps (Bolbitius titubans) which are common on grass.
A fairytale classic. I was lucky to catch this Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) as they dont stay around very long. These are very poisonous.
This is a curious fungus called Yellow Club (Clavulinopsis helvola), which once you’ve seen one, you tend to see lots!
A classic shaggy inkcap living in symbiosis with a silver birch tree. This shady lawn had lots of them, but this one was the most photogenic.
A clump of sulphur tufts. These too are poisonous.
A small cluster of mushrooms, probably Psilocybe species.
A collection of Coprinellus mushrooms. These grow on dead wood, and these ones are on an old tree stump in the lawn.
For further reading about mushrooms have a look at:
- McoKey fungus identification
- Association of British Fungus Groups
- Fungus.org.uk
- North West Fungus Group
Please note that I am NOT a fungus expert, so please don’t send me pictures or descriptions for classification, I just find them fascinating and like to photograph them. For information and professional advice, please use the above links or search for a group in your local area.
Kris Lord
I have what look like Coprinellus mushrooms on my lawn, are they edible?
DO NOT eat any wild mushrooms if you are not 100% certain what they are.
If in doubt at all, leave it alone.
Also interesting to read some of you think mushrooms are detrimental to soil quality!!!!!!! So weird to hear such things. Mushrooms are the most amazing types of living organisms that not only form intricate webs which connect plants underground and help support their growth but also have so many amazing capabilities…. Seriously too many to list. Do some research and be amazed at this life form that you had no idea was truly the most amazing living organism that is helping do so much.
Yes, I get this view quite a lot. “how do I get rid of mushrooms?” is regularly asked. It is such a shame as they are key to all life in the garden!
Kris
Fly agaric are actually not poisonous. If you correctly identify them then prepare them properly they are edible and can be medicinal, look to the Northern European countries for their accounts on healing of all sorts of health issues including rheumatioid arthritis and a bunch of others. If you eat them raw then you can become nauseous and vomit but if you drip them and then cook them the compounds change. They can be hallucinogenic if you prepare them for that. You can also strip them off those properties too.
Thanks for that. I would prefer to err on the side of caution with such fungi though!
Kris
I have Amanita Muscaria growing on my lawn. Is this a sign of poor soil. and what can I do to get rid of them.
Hi Loraine, fly agaric’s (Amanita Muscaria) are not a sign of poor soil but they usually prefer woodland locations so you probably have some trees growing nearby. You won’t be able to get rid of them as the organism will be an integral part of your soil. The mushroom is just a fruiting body which appears when conditions are perfect for it. Either just leave them, or if you are concerned about pets of little ones (they are poisonous if eaten) just pick them with gloves and dispose of them safely.
Thanks for reading.
Kris
Me and my daughter also love spotting mushrooms in our yard. But I never let her touch them. Might be poisonous.