Lawn Funghi

I have just noticed three clumps of funghi on my lawn. At first I thought they were leaves blown together but on closer inspection I realised it was funghi. The size of the largest is abot 9 inches high with a 2 foot spread.

John

I had the same issue last weekend. It seems almost overnight that my lawn grew 100 odd toadstools/mushrooms in 20ish clumps. I think that the weather conmditions being mild yet damp over the last few weeks has providfed the ideal conditions for them to grow, as last year I had none but the year before some.

I just tried to pick them out the best I could then scarified the lawn and forked it to try and help drainage as much as possible. They are so unsightly and not in the least magic! I doubt that they wont come back but at least for now it looks better.

That's a very nice specimen, of whatever it is.

Identifying fungi is very difficult, unless you're an expert on the subject. There are several hundred different different species in the UK. Most are beneficial, and help to nourish nearby plants.

The only one which is dangerous is honey fungus. To my mind yours doesn't look like honey fungus, although it could be. These are images of honey fungus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Armillaria_mellea_041031w.jpg

http://www.mushroomtable.com/wild/images/honey_fungus.jpg

http://www.mushroomtable.com/wild/images/honey_fungus_1.jpg

Just have a look at nearby trees or large shrubs. If they seem to be obviously sick, then you might have some cause for concern. Otherwise it's beneficial. If it is a dangerous fungus, then simply removing the top will not solve the problem.

There's another recent thread about fungi here:
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/problem-solving/fungus/15431.html

Looks like honey fungus to me. You might find some old tree roots buried below the crop if you dig down, it would be feeding on these. Although honey fungus is bad news in a garden at least it is edible! But don't ever eat any fungus unless you get multiple expert real life confirmations that it is a safe variety. Look out for fungus events locally where you might find an expert to have a look at your specimens.