Mushrooms on the prairie
Among other things, the meadow mushroom is known for forming
circles called “fairy rings”on lawns, golf courses, or meadows. Despite the
literature, there is nothing mystical or mythical about a fairy ring. It is
just a growth phenomenon. The mushroom mycelium grows out from a single center
(probably starting from a single spore), growing on the rich organic matter of
the lawn or prairie. It may grow for quite
a while in this vegetative state, but generally in response to a good rain (we
had 1.5 inches last week) it undergoes morphogenesis and forms fruiting bodies
at the periphery of the ring.
Part of a "line" of mushrooms, a fragment of a fairy ri |
In a tallgrass prairie a fairy ring is not as photogenic as
it is on a lawn. Also, sometimes a complete ring is not formed, only parts of a
ring (arcs), and this is what we have in Toby’s Prairie. The photo here shows an example.
Although we see occasional mushrooms in our prairies, this
is the first time we have seen such an enormous flush. The mushroom is a
saprophyte, which means it grows on dead plant material. Because of the impact of the drought, there is a lot of
mushroom food on the surface of the soil, and fruiting was brought about by the
good fall rains.
This mushroom should have no detrimental effect on the
prairie. The extensive mycelium that it forms on the surface of the soil will
eventually die and become incorporated into the rich organic humus that a prairie
makes.
Yes, this species is edible!
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