Fairy Circles or Mushrooms? (Pics)

She found a minature mushroom henge. Now find the minature druids.

S&F for some great photos. Those are some of the largest I've seen. Don't step inside the ring or we won't ever hear from you again!

reply to post by HandyDandy


My understanding is the reason why some 'shrooms grow in rings is that a previously deposited spore is activated by conditions of temperature and moisture, grows a single example that then drops its spores when it dies creating a circular effect. Accurate? Admittedly, I'm not an expert on fungus.

reply to post by NavyDoc


The going theory is that it takes two monokaryotic spores to create a dikaryotic mycelium strain......basically fungus sex. So just having one spore will not work. Fortunately they are microscopic and the mushrooms produce billions of them.

Then the mycelium spreads in a circular pattern.

When mature enough and the timing and elements are correct, it will produce mushrooms at the edges of the mycelium ring to spread spores further outward from the ring.

But with each new sporalation, the older mycelium also becomes reguvinated by the addition of the newer genetics from the new mycelium grown from the spores and interacting with the old mycelium.

This interaction of different "strains" in one mycelial mass can be most evident when cloning a mushroom for culture (I only advocate culturing edibles). Many produce multiple strains when one would think that a clone would produce only one strain.

Hope that made sense to anyone other than me.

Originally posted by HandyDandy
reply to post by NavyDoc

 

The going theory is that it takes two monokaryotic spores to create a dikaryotic mycelium strain......basically fungus sex. So just having one spore will not work. Fortunately they are microscopic and the mushrooms produce billions of them.

Then the mycelium spreads in a circular pattern.

When mature enough and the timing and elements are correct, it will produce mushrooms at the edges of the mycelium ring to spread spores further outward from the ring.

But with each new sporalation, the older mycelium also becomes reguvinated by the addition of the newer genetics from the new mycelium grown from the spores and interacting with the old mycelium.

This interaction of different "strains" in one mycelial mass can be most evident when cloning a mushroom for culture (I only advocate culturing edibles). Many produce multiple strains when one would think that a clone would produce only one strain.

Hope that made sense to anyone other than me.

edit on 16-10-2012 by HandyDandy because: (no reason given)

That makes perfect sense. Thanks! I knew that there had to be something more than just physical spreading of the spores to get an exact circular pattern and you summed it up nicely.

reply to post by HandyDandy
Thank you for that great explanation! It did make sense and allows me to better understand this Fairy Ring mystery.

Also, Navy Doc, Don't worry, I won't step into the ring, I don't want to disturb them!

I drove by there this morning, and the rings are still there, and they are the same size. I was in a rush this morning, so I could not stop for a second batch of photos. But i will be trying this afternoon, or tomorrow for sure!

Glad you all enjoyed these pictures as much as I enjoyed finding them!

now plant some garlic, spinach, tomatoes and olive trees and you can easily "Live off the Land"

reply to post by TXRabbit
I actually have a garden planted in my backyard. I have Watermelons, Cantaloupes, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Okra, Squash and Broccoli planted.

This is my first garden, and to be my first, it hasn't turned out so bad. Although my watermelons took OVER one end, lol.





This was definitely trial and error. I planted TOO many tomato plants and Cucumbers. Next year, I would like plant some Bell Peppers and Mushrooms.

I may only plant one thing of mushrooms, since I really only eat them on pizza, and was giving away extra food by bag fulls this season,

reply to post by wiser3


wiser3, it would be nice to feel the energy from them if possible amazing and cool to know ATS has reaches far and wide to become the data base it is. Now I wan to see if I can find 1 next time im out by a lake somewhere. I wonder if there are some physical properties associated with the ground below where they grow?

reply to post by NaeBabii


These fungi start growing underground from a single spore. The spore sprouts a tangle of tube-like threads, which spread out horizontally in all directions – like spokes radiating from the hub of a wheel. That’s what gives rise to the circular pattern. The part of the fungus you see – the mushrooms – springs up at the edge of the circle.

As said in your OP....

As for the specific type of mushroom, I wouldn't know, however, I think it's safe to say that this type likely falls into the few types of mushrooms that do this.

I wonder who gave this the nickname fairy circle?

reply to post by Ophiuchus 13
Hmm, what type of properties should I look for when I go back out to view them?

reply to post by Still Naive?
I have no idea from where the phrase "Fair Ring" came, but I would like to know!!

As soon as I showed them to my brother and sister, they both said "Oh, Fairy Rings!" I was like "Whaaa??"

reply to post by NaeBabii


OMG azreallllllllllll!!!!!!!!!
Them be Smurf's you found there...
Give me cord's so i can go catch them blue dude

nice body... I mean mushroom pics!

I've read this on the internet before, a very intriguing subject to me. Thank you for sharing

~ Love is an art

reply to post by LoveisanArt


^^

doesn't take long for these guys to show up

Originally posted by isyeye
These are fairly common. I know of a few places where the spring up year after year.

As always...you have to love the creations of Mother Nature.

en.wikipedia.org...

A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring [1] or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. The rings may grow to over 10 metres (33 ft) in diameter, and they become stable over time as the fungus grows and seeks food underground. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. Fairy rings are detectable by sporocarps in rings or arcs, as well as by a necrotic zone (dead grass), or a ring of dark green grass. If these manifestations are visible a fairy fungus mycelium is likely to be present in the ring or arc underneath.

Fairy rings also occupy a prominent place in European folklore as the location of gateways into elfin kingdoms, or places where elves gather and dance. According to the folklore, a fairy ring appears when a fairy, pixie, or elf appears. It will disappear without trace in less than five days, but if an observer waits for the elf to return to the ring, he or she may be able to capture it.

edit on 15-10-2012 by isyeye because: (no reason given)

i live in mushroom country, wet forest and this is where the pickers and buyers come every year. We have been her near 20 years and we have seem the most strange and beautiful of mushrooms of all kinds, yet we have never run across a Fairy Ring, so they must only be common some places where mushrooms grow if they are common.

Originally posted by Still Naive?
reply to post by LoveisanArt

 

^^

doesn't take long for these guys to show up

For real! And unless I missed something, he was hitting on a shadow. Should have complimented her sweet garden instead.

Mushrooms are actually aliens.

Spores can survive deep-space radiation, and they are lighter than air.

Originally posted by wiser3
I am from Namibia and can confirm that these circles in the desert are weird and actually quite awe inspiring, especially when you are standing inside one of them, they just seem so otherworldly and strange!
The "Fairy Circles" are wonderful, thanks to the OP for going to the trouble of photographing and posting the pics for us all to see!

To GreenFox83: Septic Tanks? Yeah Right! Hahahaha!

You should share a few pictures of them if you have any or start a thread on them. They sound very cool

Originally posted by HandyDandy

The going theory is that it takes two monokaryotic spores to create a dikaryotic mycelium strain......basically fungus sex. So just having one spore will not work. Fortunately they are microscopic and the mushrooms produce billions of them.

Then the mycelium spreads in a circular pattern.

When mature enough and the timing and elements are correct, it will produce mushrooms at the edges of the mycelium ring to spread spores further outward from the ring.

But with each new sporalation, the older mycelium also becomes reguvinated by the addition of the newer genetics from the new mycelium grown from the spores and interacting with the old mycelium.

This interaction of different "strains" in one mycelial mass can be most evident when cloning a mushroom for culture (I only advocate culturing edibles). Many produce multiple strains when one would think that a clone would produce only one strain.

Hope that made sense to anyone other than me.

AND the reason the grass is usually greener inside the ring is because of increased nutrients within the ring due to past prior generations of mushroom circles and because the spreading mycelium also breaks down organic matter more efficiently than normal decay processes

Double post

Fungi are an amazing group of organisms... I totally love them for their variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

Here in Victoria australia, particularly in the Yarra region is a Fungus that is vaugely similar to thin japanese Enoki Mushrooms.

They come in two colors, bright orange and bright red and average a length of 1 - 2 inches. From a single entity, they can sprout as many as 100,000 individual stalks over a area of several hundred metres along the small rainforested creeks feeding the yarra River.

Although both types are from different organsims, they are often found growing togeather, with stalks from each organizm inter-mingling to form some stunning displayes of color and patterning...

Fungi can easily put on as enchanting a display as any flower bed can and are totally underrated..lol