Fungi is the term to cover mushrooms and toadstools, plus a few other plants. We all know that eating the wrong mushrooms can kill us, but what else do you know about these strange plants that grow underground? Also learn more on how to (safely) sustainably forage for mushrooms.
Keep all fungi away from pets on walks, as they are toxic. Learn how to make gardens safe for pets (includes indoor plants to avoid) and use humane nontoxic slug/snail deterrence. Avoid facing indoor foliage to gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows.
England has thousands of types of mushrooms, and you really have to know what you’re doing to eat wild ones. We know button mushrooms but wild mushrooms can look strange, from joints of meat to birds’ nests to ‘dead mans’ fingers. The deathcap has even been used as a murder weapon! And worryingly, it looks quite like an edible mushroom, which is why it’s so important to know what you’re doing, before going mushroom-picking. Often found growing under beech and oak trees, although a small amount of wildlife species can eat them, they are responsible for 80% of human deaths, with just a tiny amount needed.
Some claim Charles VI died from being poisoned with this mushroom and the Roman Emperor Claudius was allegedly killed by his wife Agrippina who mixed the juice from this mushroom with his food. But most people die accidentally.
The Little Book of Mushrooms is a beautiful little pocket guide, for the extraordinary organisms found in nature. Some can cure and others can poison. Learn of mushroom folklore and identify wild mushrooms and learn those to avoid.
what are toadstools?
Toadstools are fruiting bodies of fungi, these appear above the ground in summer and autumn (usually when it’s warm and damp) and should be removed around pets and children, as most are toxic. They do elsewhere play an important role in feeding off dead plants, to release nutrients back in the soil. Some believe they are so-called as flies like them, and toads feed on flies!
why do mushrooms grow on your lawn?
Often you’ll find large easy-to-remove mushrooms on your lawn. This is actually a sign that you have good fertile soil as they love carbon-rich earth. If you are not a mushroom expert, never eat them, just pull them out from the base (easy to do) and this will stop them spreading. You can compost them or bin them, where they will naturally break down. If using composted mushrooms, ensure it’s totally broken down before using, to avoid mushrooms going back in your garden.
Another way to stop mushrooms growing on your lawn is to regularly dethatch a lawn by gently raking upwards to loosen build-up and mow your lawn regularly, limiting water applied to the soil, to decrease moisture and increase drainage. Although you need shady areas in the garden for people, pets and wildlife, remove areas of over-shade (cut back branches that hang over areas that restrict sunlight etc). Using a nitrogen lawn feed (like alfalfa meal) may help. Removing artificial grass is also good (this is not good for pollinators and over-heats in summer) as this does not drain water, so you could find mushrooms growing.
