(fading) Fungi Friday

My garden, and perhaps gardens and landscapes everywhere, has performed in an exemplary fashion this year. I like to think it’s nature’s response to how housebound everyone has had to be, appreciative of our increased attention and gentle (or not) ministrations, compared to previous years. I know my garden beds have seldom been as weed-free or well watered and mulched as this year, but that can’t explain the tremendous growth of some trees and shrubs, the exuberant and long lasting oranges, reds and yellows of the October foliage, nor, in our back lawn, the appearance of so many mushrooms. Several had shapes I’ve not seen before, but it was the sheer quantity of these round flat ones that had me gawking last week. They only last a few days before they start to deteriorate, and it’s kinda cool to see that happening. The mushroom flesh just disappears, bit by bit, usually from the edges. Helped, it seems, by the occasional slug.

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I don’t have a clue when it comes to mushrooms, but I expect these are either in the genus Lacrymaria or Agaricus; I’m certainly not going to try to nibble any! When I look up mushrooms growing in the lawn, there seems to be a consensus that they are a sign of healthy soil, containing lots of organic material. It’s interesting to note that there haven’t been any, really, in the front of the property, just behind the house. That could be because our dog would use the back of the property to poop and, especially in the winter, we missed picking up a lot of it. Or maybe because we missed our final mow/leaf mulch last fall, leaving a lot of leaves lying around. Both circumstances could have increased organic matter, I imagine.

Fungi Friday – it’s a thing, you know!