• Originally published September 22, 2009 at midnight, updated September 22, 2009 at 9:25 p.m.

The little rain that we have recently experienced in the Golden Crescent produced some magical changes. Some of those changes are evident right in our backyards. Fairy rings, the circles of mushrooms, for example, seemed to appear overnight.

It was once believed that this circle of mushrooms marked the places where fairies dance at night, and so the name. Others believed that it was the location where the devil churned butter, leaving a ring of deadly mushrooms, and still others said that it was caused by the scorching breath of dragons.

In truth, fairly rings actually mark the edges of an underground network of hyphae, the lateral branches of a growing mushroom. The majority of the plant lives underground, but with the right circumstances, such as heavy summer or fall rains, the plant sends fruiting bodies above ground. The mushroom, as we know it, is only the reproductive part of the plants, the portion that will produce spores. The extensive network of filaments remain hidden below ground, living on decaying wood, rich in humus, and similar dark, damp objects,

Normally, fairy rings occur in the same place year after year, growing larger each flowering season. A fairy ring may extend up to 40 feet across in 20 years.

In Great Britain, some fairy rings have been estimated at 400 to 600 years old. Most often the mushrooms that form the fairy ring are "fairy-ring mushrooms," a small, pale brown, toxic species, but fairy rings can be made by numerous species, including shaggy manes, puffballs, mica caps, inky caps, sulphur mushrooms, morels, parasols, and many others.

Mushrooms are actually fungi, nonflowering plants that lack true leaves, stems, and roots. Nor do they possess chlorophyll, so they are unable to manufacture their own food. They reproduce by sending a flowering head, which we know as a mushroom, above ground. The head then develops billions of spores. These dustlike spores can be spread by the wind, scattered by raindrops, or attached to wildlife or humans. They actually are able to ride through the air for thousands of miles. Many will eventually land and germinate.

Are the mushrooms that form fairly rings poisonous? Most are, but others can be eaten. And some can be poisonous to one person but not to others. So, unless you know which species is which, it is safest to just admire mushrooms for what they are, one of nature's most fascinating plants.

Ro Wauer writes about nature for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him in care of Victoria Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77902.

• Print
• •
• Share
  • Share this item

    Send this to a friend

    Share on FaceBook

  • Grab the link

    Copy and paste the link:

  • Blog about it

    Blog about this page.

  • Close
• •
• Post a Comment
• •
• Favorite
• •
• Report error
  • Thank you for your submission.
    Error report or correction

    Contact name (optional) Contact phone/e-mail (optional)  

    
  • Close
• •