Expect Different Kinds of Mushrooms After Rain

Q. These creepy white “things” keep cropping-up out of the ground all over my backyard. What are they and are they dangerous? I am thinking they might be a mushroom or fugus of some sort. I am concerned because in the past, I had a serious, invasive fungal infection (aspergillus) requiring surgery.

Many different types of mushrooms can appear after a rain and there is wood in the soil or on the surface

A. Yes, these are mushrooms (fungal) and they “feed” from decaying wood, woodchips, particles of wood or rotting woody roots in the soil. They are common in the spring and fall months after rains when there is wood in the ground getting wet and rotting. The wood might be from woodchips used as a surface mulch or signal dead and decaying roots of trees. You might see some in compost piles as well. Oyster mushrooms, edible types of mushrooms, are commonly grown in decaying wood chips so it can be a perfect habitat for some types of mushrooms. But its natural for them.

Sometimes mushrooms grow in woodchips and they look like mushrooms with the stalk that supports the cap

            Several types of mushrooms appear in the cooler spring and fall months after a rain. Most are not poisonous but that doesn’t mean they can be eaten. The mushrooms seen can range from puffballs to traditional mushrooms to slime molds which look like vomit on the ground. I have been told by some they can make pets sick if eaten and may require a visit to the vet but its normally not life threatening.

Sometimes these mushrooms grow beneath the soil and make fleshy underground balls

            They are more of a nuisance to most people. To get rid of them and keep them from spreading, vigorously rake the area when they are young and first seen to prevent them from maturing. These mushrooms open up when mature and spread “spores” which are their “seeds” for spreading to other wood mulch during rains.

Sometimes they grow in piles of woodchips or compost

             I realize there are people very sensitive to the spores of some types of fungi including mushrooms. Take some pictures of the problem. It is best to check with a physician to be sure.

Sometimes they cause an allergic reaction or a rash