Hi

There has been a sudden sprouting of quite large white mushrooms in our
front lawn - they have flat and sometimes wavy tops and are fairly plain
creamy beige colour - just wondered if anyone could identify them? I
don't have a good book on this and can't find a good website either?

Lynda

In article , Lynda Thornton
writes
Hi

There has been a sudden sprouting of quite large white mushrooms in our
front lawn - they have flat and sometimes wavy tops and are fairly plain
creamy beige colour - just wondered if anyone could identify them? I
don't have a good book on this and can't find a good website either?

They could be any of a number of different mushrooms. Are they coming
up at random, in clumps, or in a ring? What colour are the gills?
Don't be tempted to eat them - some of the lawn fungi are very
poisonous.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

They could be any of a number of different mushrooms. Are they coming
up at random, in clumps, or in a ring? What colour are the gills?
Don't be tempted to eat them - some of the lawn fungi are very
poisonous.

I thought that this was going to be a fairy circle question, we have
had them before and some of the men say that they would stand in the
middle and wish for Charlie Dimmock, is she still a favourite I
wonder :-)
kate

In article , Kay Easton
writes
In article , Lynda Thornton
writes
Hi

There has been a sudden sprouting of quite large white mushrooms in our
front lawn - they have flat and sometimes wavy tops and are fairly plain
creamy beige colour - just wondered if anyone could identify them? I
don't have a good book on this and can't find a good website either?

They could be any of a number of different mushrooms. Are they coming
up at random, in clumps, or in a ring? What colour are the gills?
Don't be tempted to eat them - some of the lawn fungi are very
poisonous.

Hi

They are spreading randomly, the gills are the same colour as the top,
and they have an overall waxy appearance.

I certainly won't be eating them, I realise they are probably inedible
or poisonous, I was just curious, always interested in furthering my
knowledge of all things growing in the garden

Lynda
--
Lynda Thornton

On Sun, 3 Nov 2002 13:53:08 +0000 (UTC), Lynda Thornton
wrote:

In article , Kay Easton
writes
In article , Lynda Thornton
writes
Hi

There has been a sudden sprouting of quite large white mushrooms in our
front lawn - they have flat and sometimes wavy tops and are fairly plain
creamy beige colour - just wondered if anyone could identify them? I
don't have a good book on this and can't find a good website either?

They could be any of a number of different mushrooms. Are they coming
up at random, in clumps, or in a ring? What colour are the gills?
Don't be tempted to eat them - some of the lawn fungi are very
poisonous.

Hi

They are spreading randomly, the gills are the same colour as the top,
and they have an overall waxy appearance.

I certainly won't be eating them, I realise they are probably inedible
or poisonous, I was just curious, always interested in furthering my
knowledge of all things growing in the garden


Given the description and the habitat there's a strong possibility
that they might one of the Clitocybes ( funnel caps ).
There are about 90 or so species of Clitocybe.... about 10% are
poisonous.
In most cases, white gills are a bit of no-no with regard to
edibility.

Have a closer look at the gills... do they run down the stem a little
way?

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

In article , Stephen Howard
writes
On Sun, 3 Nov 2002 13:53:08 +0000 (UTC), Lynda Thornton
wrote:

In article , Kay Easton
writes
In article , Lynda Thornton
writes
Hi

There has been a sudden sprouting of quite large white mushrooms in our
front lawn - they have flat and sometimes wavy tops and are fairly plain
creamy beige colour - just wondered if anyone could identify them? I
don't have a good book on this and can't find a good website either?

They could be any of a number of different mushrooms. Are they coming
up at random, in clumps, or in a ring? What colour are the gills?
Don't be tempted to eat them - some of the lawn fungi are very
poisonous.

Hi

They are spreading randomly, the gills are the same colour as the top,
and they have an overall waxy appearance.

I certainly won't be eating them, I realise they are probably inedible
or poisonous, I was just curious, always interested in furthering my
knowledge of all things growing in the garden


Given the description and the habitat there's a strong possibility
that they might one of the Clitocybes ( funnel caps ).
There are about 90 or so species of Clitocybe.... about 10% are
poisonous.
In most cases, white gills are a bit of no-no with regard to
edibility.

Have a closer look at the gills... do they run down the stem a little
way?

Hi

I'll try and check them tomorrow.

Thanks

Lynda

Kate Morgan wrote:

I thought that this was going to be a fairy circle question, we have
had them before and some of the men say that they would stand in the
middle and wish for Charlie Dimmock, is she still a favourite I
wonder :-)

I'd wish for Rachel de Thame.
--
Nick Wagg
TranscenData Europe Ltd, Oakington House, Oakington, Cambridge CB4 5AF
Email: URL: www.transcendata.com
Tel: +44 (0)1223 237111 Fax: +44 (0)1223 234192

"Nick Wagg" wrote:
Kate Morgan wrote:
I thought that this was going to be a fairy circle question, we have
had them before and some of the men say that they would stand in the
middle and wish for Charlie Dimmock, is she still a favourite I
wonder :-)

I'd wish for Rachel de Thame.

Get back - there's a queue ;o)
--
William Tasso - The road to hell is littered with fallen webmasters.
http://www.tbdata.com/

In message , William Tasso
writes
I'd wish for Rachel de Thame.

Get back - there's a queue ;o)

who she?

--
dave @ stejonda

"Lynda Thornton" wrote in message
...
Hi

There has been a sudden sprouting of quite large white mushrooms in our
front lawn - they have flat and sometimes wavy tops and are fairly plain
creamy beige colour - just wondered if anyone could identify them? I
don't have a good book on this and can't find a good website either?

Lynda

One of the latest surprises as we head into our first autumn/winter in the
new garden is the range of fungi that are appearing. Most I haven't a clue
what they are - will be getting the Roger Phillips out at the weekend (I
always used to work on the rule of thumb that I would identify 20 new fungi
each year and then forget 18 of them...) - but was pleasantly surprised when
raking out under a juniper for a small wood blewit to appear...unfortunately
neighbour's dog got to it before we could eat it but bodes well for the
future

Michael S

In article , Lynda Thornton
writes
In article , Stephen Howard
writes
On Sun, 3 Nov 2002 13:53:08 +0000 (UTC), Lynda Thornton
wrote:

In article , Kay Easton
writes
In article , Lynda Thornton
writes
Hi

There has been a sudden sprouting of quite large white mushrooms in our
front lawn - they have flat and sometimes wavy tops and are fairly plain
creamy beige colour - just wondered if anyone could identify them? I
don't have a good book on this and can't find a good website either?

They could be any of a number of different mushrooms. Are they coming
up at random, in clumps, or in a ring? What colour are the gills?
Don't be tempted to eat them - some of the lawn fungi are very
poisonous.

Hi

They are spreading randomly, the gills are the same colour as the top,
and they have an overall waxy appearance.

I certainly won't be eating them, I realise they are probably inedible
or poisonous, I was just curious, always interested in furthering my
knowledge of all things growing in the garden


Given the description and the habitat there's a strong possibility
that they might one of the Clitocybes ( funnel caps ).
There are about 90 or so species of Clitocybe.... about 10% are
poisonous.
In most cases, white gills are a bit of no-no with regard to
edibility.

Have a closer look at the gills... do they run down the stem a little
way?

Hi

I'll try and check them tomorrow.

Thanks

Lynda

Just a note to say that there are quite a few more - looks like the
whole lawn is being taken over! If they're poisonous I might get rid of
them, the lawn needs mowing anyway ...
Lynda

On Tue, 5 Nov 2002 09:46:38 +0000 (UTC), Lynda Thornton
wrote:


Just a note to say that there are quite a few more - looks like the
whole lawn is being taken over! If they're poisonous I might get rid of
them, the lawn needs mowing anyway ...
Lynda

You're too late!

The bits of the fungi you can see are the last knockings of the
reproductive cycle - these things can pop up overnight and deliver a
payload of millions of spores before you've had time to dig out the
plastic Scooby Doo toy from your cornflakes.

In any event, the air this time of year is awash with fungal spores -
and it just so happens that one little spot in your garden suits the
fungus that is now thriving there.
You could eradicate it with a fungicide, but that doesn't mean it
won't come back again in a year or so.
Mowing the lawn is a good idea...from the fungi's point of view -
spores will get flung all over the place!

There aren't too many drawbacks to having fungi growing on your lawn -
if your turf is pristine you may notice a dark ring of green that
corresponds to the current diameter of the 'fairy ring' - but that's
nature's way of telling you you're confusing your lawn with your
living room carpet!

The only other issue is that of their being perhaps poisonous.
Well, we all seem to survive Yew, Belladonna, Monkshood, Foxglove,
green potatoes et al simply because someone once told us not to monkey
about with them.
And so it is with fungi.

The number of truly lethal species is really rather small, and deaths
from ingestion are typically confined to ( frankly ) bloody fools who
treat the forest floor like the fresh veg racks in Sainsburys and
assume everything that looks tasty is edible.

My garden and children happily coexist with a rather poisonous species
of fungi ( one of the Inocybes ). I have shown them how to recognise
it ( the orangey-red cone-shaped head is a giveaway ) and made them
aware of its potential to harm...whilst also explaining that it won't
jump up and grab them, nor will they die if they touch it.
In fact, they seem to rather enjoy competing at being the first to
spot one each year.
I'm also fortunate to have field mushrooms growing in the garden too -
but the slugs/snails/deer/rabbits/furtive chefs(?) beat me to 'em
every time.

So spare a thought for the much-misaligned toadstool at this time of
year ( and I exclude the Honey Fungus by virtue of the damage it can
cause to your trees and shrubs ). treat it as you would any of our
indigenous 'nasties' and enjoy its strange beauty while it lasts.

Better still, buy a decent fungi book - and keep it on the shelf in
the study...er..loo.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

On Tue, 5 Nov 2002 09:31:13 -0000, "Michael Savage"
wrote:


Lynda

One of the latest surprises as we head into our first autumn/winter in the
new garden is the range of fungi that are appearing. Most I haven't a clue
what they are - will be getting the Roger Phillips out at the weekend (I
always used to work on the rule of thumb that I would identify 20 new fungi
each year and then forget 18 of them...) - but was pleasantly surprised when
raking out under a juniper for a small wood blewit to appear...unfortunately
neighbour's dog got to it before we could eat it but bodes well for the
future


There are a couple of varieties of Blewit - you may have the one that
grows in gardens ( unless your garden is particularly foresty ).

Blewits are very tasty indeed - in fact they used to sell them 'oop
north' on market stalls.
A word of caution though - you cannot eat them raw, they need to be
well cooked.
They won't kill you, but boy will they flush you out!

You may also find that they don't agree with you. I found this out,
twice.
The woods adjacent to my garden are packed full of them every year -
and despite my best efforts to enjoy their fragrant taste I found they
made me what can only be accurately decribed as violently and
coloufully sick! I tried them again a year later... just to make
sure....never again.

I happened to bump into Antonio Carluccio ( who lives nearby... though
I sincerely doubt he has anything to do with the disappearance of the
field mushropoms from my lawn! ) and he informed me that some people
are just plain allergic to Blewits.

If you're tempted to try them I strongly advise anyone to check with
at least two good field guides ( you often find that one lists a
fungus as edible whilst another notes that there may be those who
suffer some ill effects ) and that you eat only a small portion
intially - retaining some samples just in case.
Sounds like a dire warning, but it's just common sense.

Note too that Blewits bear a passing resemblence to a Purple
Cortinarius...which some guides insist is poisonous ( poisonous in
this case meaning a very unpleasant hour or so inspecting the bowl of
the loo ).

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

"Stephen Howard" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 5 Nov 2002 09:31:13 -0000, "Michael Savage"
wrote:


Lynda

One of the latest surprises as we head into our first autumn/winter in
the
new garden is the range of fungi that are appearing. Most I haven't a
clue
what they are - will be getting the Roger Phillips out at the weekend (I
always used to work on the rule of thumb that I would identify 20 new
fungi
each year and then forget 18 of them...) - but was pleasantly surprised
when
raking out under a juniper for a small wood blewit to
appear...unfortunately
neighbour's dog got to it before we could eat it but bodes well for the
future


There are a couple of varieties of Blewit - you may have the one that
grows in gardens ( unless your garden is particularly foresty ).

Blewits are very tasty indeed - in fact they used to sell them 'oop
north' on market stalls.
A word of caution though - you cannot eat them raw, they need to be
well cooked.
They won't kill you, but boy will they flush you out!

You may also find that they don't agree with you. I found this out,
twice.
The woods adjacent to my garden are packed full of them every year -
and despite my best efforts to enjoy their fragrant taste I found they
made me what can only be accurately decribed as violently and
coloufully sick! I tried them again a year later... just to make
sure....never again.

I happened to bump into Antonio Carluccio ( who lives nearby... though
I sincerely doubt he has anything to do with the disappearance of the
field mushropoms from my lawn! ) and he informed me that some people
are just plain allergic to Blewits.

If you're tempted to try them I strongly advise anyone to check with
at least two good field guides ( you often find that one lists a
fungus as edible whilst another notes that there may be those who
suffer some ill effects ) and that you eat only a small portion
intially - retaining some samples just in case.
Sounds like a dire warning, but it's just common sense.

Note too that Blewits bear a passing resemblence to a Purple
Cortinarius...which some guides insist is poisonous ( poisonous in
this case meaning a very unpleasant hour or so inspecting the bowl of
the loo ).

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

Don't think I'm allergic to blewits 'cos I used to eat all I could find when
I was a countryside warden - I think they may be my favourite wild fungi.
This was definitely Wood Blewit - lovely blue-lilac gills, tall slender
stem, no trace of cortina. I guess the juniper gave it the conditions it
needs - I used to find lots in shady hedgerows so not so dissimilar...also
it's a mature garden.

They certainly have a good taste, so maybe that's why some people react -
chemicals there to react to...

Will have a peak under the bush again this weekend to see if there are any
others.

Michael S
ps if you have to bump into anyone, I guess Antonio Carluccio is as
comfortable as you could hope for...
(cheap joke 'cos I'm no skinny minny myself)

On Tue, 5 Nov 2002 14:18:10 +0000 (UTC), Lynda Thornton
wrote:

Mowing the lawn is a good idea...from the fungi's point of view -
spores will get flung all over the place!

I would pick them by hand before I mowed it, it would end up being a big
mushed up mess with bits of soggy fungus everywhere...

Sounds like one of my home-made pizzas!!

There aren't too many drawbacks to having fungi growing on your lawn -
if your turf is pristine you may notice a dark ring of green that
corresponds to the current diameter of the 'fairy ring' - but that's
nature's way of telling you you're confusing your lawn with your
living room carpet!

No, there's no ring - they are growing pretty randomly.

Ah, then they probably aren't what I thought they were.....
They might be worse!

So spare a thought for the much-misaligned toadstool at this time of
year ( and I exclude the Honey Fungus by virtue of the damage it can
cause to your trees and shrubs ). treat it as you would any of our
indigenous 'nasties' and enjoy its strange beauty while it lasts.

Better still, buy a decent fungi book - and keep it on the shelf in
the study...er..loo.

I am happy to watch what happens, but I don't want the whole lawn
covered with slimy rotting mushrooms so I might pick them at some point!

Might be interesting to see what comes up next year - the mere
presence of one kind of fungi can make the site more habitable to
other species.

Here's hoping it's one you can eat!

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk