Calling all mycologists!
October 2, 2023 2:23 PM Subscribe
We've had quite a bit of rain lately and suddenly I'm seeing mushrooms springing up in people's lawns. I have three questions about this:
1) Where did the mushrooms come from? Were the spores (or whatever) always there, just waiting for the right conditions, or what?
2) Why is it that some lawns have mushrooms and others don't? It doesn't seem to be related to sunniness or how well-tended the lawn is, which are the hypotheses that occurred to me.
3) Each mushroomed lawn only seems to have one single type of mushrooms, while another lawn nearby will have a different type. WTF is up with that?
In case it matters, I live in a pretty standard housing development in the Chicago suburbs.
1) Where did the mushrooms come from? Were the spores (or whatever) always there, just waiting for the right conditions, or what?
2) Why is it that some lawns have mushrooms and others don't? It doesn't seem to be related to sunniness or how well-tended the lawn is, which are the hypotheses that occurred to me.
3) Each mushroomed lawn only seems to have one single type of mushrooms, while another lawn nearby will have a different type. WTF is up with that?
In case it matters, I live in a pretty standard housing development in the Chicago suburbs.
Interested to hear because I sadly dont have answers, but out here in Delmarva (Mid-Atlantic) we have all of our own front and backyard (and houseplant) shrooms. Would love to be educated further.
posted by atomicstone at 2:44 PM on October 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by atomicstone at 2:44 PM on October 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
Why is it that some lawns have mushrooms and others don't?
This varies from species to species, but sometimes you're seeing a species that's decomposing a subterranean feature, like the roots of a long-dead tree. Sometimes they're in a mutualistic relationship with another species that's present, like a (living, in this case) tree. But, most frequently, it's probably just that you happened to be there at the right time to see a flush of mushrooms of a particular species. As seanmpuckett noted, mushrooms aren't the main event; they grew from a much larger organism which is usually not easily perceivable: mushrooms don't grow directly from spores, it's spores-->mycelium-->fruting bodies. Mycelium of multiple species is probably present in the other, mushroom-free yards too, they're just not producing mushrooms right now.
Each mushroomed lawn only seems to have one single type of mushrooms, while another lawn nearby will have a different type. WTF is up with that?
See above--that's because this is the mycelium that happens to be producing fruiting bodies right now. There are probably other species present, but the conditions weren't juuust right, or they made a bunch of mushrooms last year and are busy getting ready for next time, which could be next year or the year after or five years from now. It's possible that the fruting species is also actively suppressing the others but that's sort of a [citation needed] reach on my part.
posted by pullayup at 3:11 PM on October 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
This varies from species to species, but sometimes you're seeing a species that's decomposing a subterranean feature, like the roots of a long-dead tree. Sometimes they're in a mutualistic relationship with another species that's present, like a (living, in this case) tree. But, most frequently, it's probably just that you happened to be there at the right time to see a flush of mushrooms of a particular species. As seanmpuckett noted, mushrooms aren't the main event; they grew from a much larger organism which is usually not easily perceivable: mushrooms don't grow directly from spores, it's spores-->mycelium-->fruting bodies. Mycelium of multiple species is probably present in the other, mushroom-free yards too, they're just not producing mushrooms right now.
Each mushroomed lawn only seems to have one single type of mushrooms, while another lawn nearby will have a different type. WTF is up with that?
See above--that's because this is the mycelium that happens to be producing fruiting bodies right now. There are probably other species present, but the conditions weren't juuust right, or they made a bunch of mushrooms last year and are busy getting ready for next time, which could be next year or the year after or five years from now. It's possible that the fruting species is also actively suppressing the others but that's sort of a [citation needed] reach on my part.
posted by pullayup at 3:11 PM on October 2, 2023 [5 favorites]
Also, if you get excited about walking around looking at mushrooms, consider checking out the Illinois Mycological Association! During the season members can attend Saturday morning surveys in the parks around Chicago. Walk around in the woods, find some mushrooms, and listen to an expert talk about what you found!
posted by pullayup at 3:17 PM on October 2, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by pullayup at 3:17 PM on October 2, 2023 [6 favorites]
1) Where did the mushrooms come from? Were the spores (or whatever) always there, just waiting for the right conditions, or what?
The mushroom is only the fruiting body of the organism; most of what the mushroom is is mycelium. Lots of mushrooms will fruit under certain conditions (fall and spring are good times for several mushroom friends). This organism can sometimes move around without notice subterraneanly, or just be really fucking large and fruit in different sections (Armillaria ostoyae is one of the largest single organism on earth; it fruits all over that area, but is a single entity).
2) Why is it that some lawns have mushrooms and others don't? It doesn't seem to be related to sunniness or how well-tended the lawn is, which are the hypotheses that occurred to me.
Correct! The tendedness of a lawn has nothing to do with mushroom activity; this is entirely dependent on soil health, and whatever else may be in the soil. While not the rule, many mushrooms require something to decompose. Morels for example, can be found just about goddamn anywhere (your local shitty corportate business park) in the bark chips laid down in those sterile hellscapes (allowing for mushroom forays in even the most depressing of places). Some monsters will include fungicides with their lawn treatments. This is generally bad.
3) Each mushroomed lawn only seems to have one single type of mushrooms, while another lawn nearby will have a different type. WTF is up with that?
Yeah, mushrooms are picky. Some only like to grow near certain trees, or alongside other nutrient constellations. In my area for example, chanterelles will grow underneath almost any evergreen, (one of my secret spots has loads under fir trees) but they prefer to grow under hemlock trees. Some mushrooms are pickier about this than others.
And! depending on what they're eating, this can change the toxicity of a mushroom. There's some evidence that Laetiporus sulphureus mushrooms that grow on Eucalyptus trees is pretty rough on the human body (maybe not quite poisonous, but probably toxic), but if it grows on other trees, can be an extremely tasty treat (and extremely easy to identify and make a fantastic fried 'chicken' sandwich).
Fun bonus mushroom fact: the only reason we have the bulk of the petrified wood in the geological record is that most of those trees grew before wood-decomposing-mushrooms evolved. That would would just stack up, and cause all sorts of problems for a couple million years...slowly getting buried, and then fossilizing, and not really decaying all that well.
posted by furnace.heart at 3:55 PM on October 2, 2023 [12 favorites]
The mushroom is only the fruiting body of the organism; most of what the mushroom is is mycelium. Lots of mushrooms will fruit under certain conditions (fall and spring are good times for several mushroom friends). This organism can sometimes move around without notice subterraneanly, or just be really fucking large and fruit in different sections (Armillaria ostoyae is one of the largest single organism on earth; it fruits all over that area, but is a single entity).
2) Why is it that some lawns have mushrooms and others don't? It doesn't seem to be related to sunniness or how well-tended the lawn is, which are the hypotheses that occurred to me.
Correct! The tendedness of a lawn has nothing to do with mushroom activity; this is entirely dependent on soil health, and whatever else may be in the soil. While not the rule, many mushrooms require something to decompose. Morels for example, can be found just about goddamn anywhere (your local shitty corportate business park) in the bark chips laid down in those sterile hellscapes (allowing for mushroom forays in even the most depressing of places). Some monsters will include fungicides with their lawn treatments. This is generally bad.
3) Each mushroomed lawn only seems to have one single type of mushrooms, while another lawn nearby will have a different type. WTF is up with that?
Yeah, mushrooms are picky. Some only like to grow near certain trees, or alongside other nutrient constellations. In my area for example, chanterelles will grow underneath almost any evergreen, (one of my secret spots has loads under fir trees) but they prefer to grow under hemlock trees. Some mushrooms are pickier about this than others.
And! depending on what they're eating, this can change the toxicity of a mushroom. There's some evidence that Laetiporus sulphureus mushrooms that grow on Eucalyptus trees is pretty rough on the human body (maybe not quite poisonous, but probably toxic), but if it grows on other trees, can be an extremely tasty treat (and extremely easy to identify and make a fantastic fried 'chicken' sandwich).
Fun bonus mushroom fact: the only reason we have the bulk of the petrified wood in the geological record is that most of those trees grew before wood-decomposing-mushrooms evolved. That would would just stack up, and cause all sorts of problems for a couple million years...slowly getting buried, and then fossilizing, and not really decaying all that well.
posted by furnace.heart at 3:55 PM on October 2, 2023 [12 favorites]
2) Why is it that some lawns have mushrooms and others don't?
Each species has a preferred niche. The niche is composed of the underlying soil and other species of microbes, fungi, animals and plants. Hereabouts it is common at this season to meet people wandering through sheep-pasture looking intently at the ground. Something about sheep - their grazing prefs? their excretions? - encourages the growth of Psilocybe semilanceata Liberty Cap = magishrooms. Shiitake Lentinula edodes grows conveniently well to fruiting body on oak logs. One of these lawns might be growing over the root system of a particular host tree.
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:42 AM on October 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
Each species has a preferred niche. The niche is composed of the underlying soil and other species of microbes, fungi, animals and plants. Hereabouts it is common at this season to meet people wandering through sheep-pasture looking intently at the ground. Something about sheep - their grazing prefs? their excretions? - encourages the growth of Psilocybe semilanceata Liberty Cap = magishrooms. Shiitake Lentinula edodes grows conveniently well to fruiting body on oak logs. One of these lawns might be growing over the root system of a particular host tree.
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:42 AM on October 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
See also “The secret life of trees” - there is a degree of mutualism between fungi and trees, and the type of trees grown on a given lawn may thus determine what mushrooms grow there.
posted by rongorongo at 7:14 AM on October 3, 2023
posted by rongorongo at 7:14 AM on October 3, 2023
Re: rongirongo
While many fungi do form associations with trees, the info in the secret life of trees video is generally not accepted as anything close to settled science, despite popularization by folks like Simard and Wohlleben.
In general, scientists in the field have been taken aback by how quickly Simard et al.’s ideas have entered the popular consciousness and are highly skeptical of their claims.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-01986-1
posted by congen at 8:17 AM on October 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
While many fungi do form associations with trees, the info in the secret life of trees video is generally not accepted as anything close to settled science, despite popularization by folks like Simard and Wohlleben.
In general, scientists in the field have been taken aback by how quickly Simard et al.’s ideas have entered the popular consciousness and are highly skeptical of their claims.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-01986-1
posted by congen at 8:17 AM on October 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you want a general background on mushrooms, Michael Pollan’s Omnivores Dilemma has a very readable section on mushrooms that includes a narrative on hunting for morels with some interesting cautionary tales. He has essays online that probably overlap with this.
Trees and fungi often have symbiotic relationships. Oaks and chanterelles are strongly linked, for example. That is likely pulling from Pollan as well. He writes like the gardener he is, even if it just pops out of the ground without human intervention.
If you have kids that might be curious about mushrooms, the last three books of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events have it as a plot element with lively expository writing. Great for elementary schoolers as an audiobook in the car. The movie is decent, haven’t seen the series as my kids are teens.
posted by childofTethys at 10:01 AM on October 3, 2023
Trees and fungi often have symbiotic relationships. Oaks and chanterelles are strongly linked, for example. That is likely pulling from Pollan as well. He writes like the gardener he is, even if it just pops out of the ground without human intervention.
If you have kids that might be curious about mushrooms, the last three books of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events have it as a plot element with lively expository writing. Great for elementary schoolers as an audiobook in the car. The movie is decent, haven’t seen the series as my kids are teens.
posted by childofTethys at 10:01 AM on October 3, 2023
These are coming up all over our property: Amanita Muscaria. In Siberia, shamans and social higher ups consumed them but as the active ingredients pass through the kidneys intact, the lower-downs learned to eat the yellow snow. As did reindeer, who could smell it from miles and came running. People got trampled sometimes.
Ours started out on one well shaded strip of lawn in one courtyard but now are ubiquitous across our end of the block. And note the bitemarks on closeup where they have been nibbled by squirrels and cottontails in the know.
They are listed as poisonous but only one death in 2008 was recorded by the CDC as far as I know. Who ate 8 caps at one sitting, mind you. The deadly cousin Aminata Phalloides is the true killer. Survivors describe it as smelling and tasting wonderful.
A friend from high school who moved to Seattle 50 odd years ago ate one and lay immobilized for four hours while we made fun of him. Turned out he heard every word. Oops! That was both embarrassing and instructive. Upon hearing the immobilized part, I lost all interest in following suit.
Also, see Muscimind gummies.
posted by y2karl at 2:14 PM on October 25, 2023
Ours started out on one well shaded strip of lawn in one courtyard but now are ubiquitous across our end of the block. And note the bitemarks on closeup where they have been nibbled by squirrels and cottontails in the know.
They are listed as poisonous but only one death in 2008 was recorded by the CDC as far as I know. Who ate 8 caps at one sitting, mind you. The deadly cousin Aminata Phalloides is the true killer. Survivors describe it as smelling and tasting wonderful.
A friend from high school who moved to Seattle 50 odd years ago ate one and lay immobilized for four hours while we made fun of him. Turned out he heard every word. Oops! That was both embarrassing and instructive. Upon hearing the immobilized part, I lost all interest in following suit.
Also, see Muscimind gummies.
posted by y2karl at 2:14 PM on October 25, 2023
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posted by seanmpuckett at 2:43 PM on October 2, 2023 [15 favorites]