The Ring Don't Mean A Thing

"I was out raking leaves in my backyard and found an odd 'curve' of mushrooms growing under an oak tree." [Read More]

Fairy rings are just neat. There's not really any other word for them... Except maybe "creepy" if you consider the folklore that has sprung up around them.

A woman in California found this fair ring formation in her backyard. The accompanying news article describes some of that old folklore including the curse that anyone who steps into a fairy ring may become trapped inside it forever.

A fairy ring of mushrooms but not necessarily
Fairy Ring mushrooms

Actually, fairy rings are produced when a mycelium (that's the root system, if you will, of a mushroom) starts to spread outward eating up organic matter underground. Being the fruiting bodies of mycelia, mushrooms appear at the edge of this circular system. Since the root system continually seeks out more organic matter to digest, the perimeter is always widening and you can usually expect that the fairy ring will be wider the following year.

Many mushrooms form fairy rings. However, one in particular actually bears the name "Fairyring Mushroom" (marasmius oreades aka Scotch Bonnet Mushroom). Though marasmius oreades is edible and delicious this not to say all fairy ring forming shrooms are edible. So just don't step inside one, unless you're sure that you can eat your way out.