Mushrooms

More About Fairy Rings

By morel delimma ⋅ October 25, 2006 ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

A recent news article produced by the NorthWest Arkansas Times quoted Jay Justice on fairy rings:

“A lot of times they [mushrooms] grow in fairy rings or semi fairy rings,” he said. “The gills will be pure white when they’re young, but over time, they’ll turn to a greenish gray color, which means they’re poisonous. It can cause gastrointestinal problems for some people, but many animals can eat poisonous mushrooms without getting sick.”

According to Justice, a fairy ring, also known as a pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms that appear in grassy areas during spring and fall, typically after a period of heavy rainfall. The ring will appear as either a dark green or brown circular band ranging in size from a few inches to 50 feet in diameter. The fairy ring fungus grows outward from a central point at a rate varying from a few inches to as much as several feet per year.

Justice, who serves as president of the Arkansas Mycological Society, is also a member of the North American Mycological Association and the Mycological Society of America.

Known as the “mushroom affect,” Justice said mushroom patches usually develop under specific weather conditions.

“They need moisture,” he said. “Many times, there will be an initial rain and the mushrooms will sit there in a compressed state. The rain just causes them to elongate. The mushroom affect generally occurs after a second rain.”

Though mushroom patches can surface overnight, Justice said their life span is typically brief.

“It depends how hot it is,” he said. “In the summertime, they usually go pretty quick. The heat will dry them out and the bugs will eat them. If it’s really windy, the mushrooms will also dry out a lot faster.”