Tuesday, September 8, 2009

September rain spawns all kinds of mushrooms


It never ceases to amaze me how many different mushrooms I encounter in my backyard.

September is the rainiest month here in South East Florida. With the incessant rain and humidity comes the mushrooms.

There are nearly no lawns in my neighborhood that is not infested with Chlorophyllum molybdites - these incredibly large mushrooms (some are really dinner-plate sized) typically form fairy rings. Here's half of a fairy ring in my backyard the other side is on the other side of my fence.

When I see these mushrooms, I feel so frustrated, they are so beautiful, yet, they are poisonous and I wish I could "seed" my lawn with edible mushrooms that would grow in our heat and humidity - surely, if Chlorophyllum molybdites can grow here in these conditions, there must be a sub-tropical mushroom I could "plant" here that would provide copious amounts of delicious mushrooms during our rainiest months, June and September ?















Stinkhorn on cedar mulch
Stinkhorn on cedar mulch under sugar apple
Stinkhorn on cedar mulch under sugar apple
Oyster type on decaying queen palm frond
Hairy funnel shaped on cedar mulch
Fairy-like mushroom on lawn

4 comments:

  1. Nice photos. I've got a dinner plate sized mushroom coming up where I recently applied compost. I think they're cool.

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  2. I love mushrooms, succulents, fungus,trees, aloes, and South Africa! Would love to travel their to see the wild succulents everywhere! It would be like heaven! I never knew guava leaves were so pretty (and variegated)! Thanks for great info here. I am in PB County also!
    Check out my succulent tires (in their glory days)...they need revising again...HERE!
    Julie

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  3. Grace, maybe your's are edible - yummmy ! I love mushrooms ! Just a little weary to pick wild mushrooms, there are jsut so many different species that look similar. I've been thinking of buying some mushroom spawn and tro to grow my own.

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  4. Julie,

    Istn't it amazing how you take things for granted when you live close by ? Growing up, succulents were always around us in SA, but I never paid them any attention, now that I'm older, I've developed a keen interest in the Aloes, and SA has by far the most species, I think something like 132 (who know what they'll still discover). That doesn't include the haworthias and other aloe-like succulents.

    That guava is not your normal guava, its a special variegated one. I have only seen it at Excalibur Rare Fruit Trees.

    I love your succulent tires, awesome !

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