How Do Fairy Rings Come About?

First of all, what's a fairy ring? It's a circle of mushrooms which can sometimes surround patches of dead grass inside them. Fairies are said to dance inside the circle of mushrooms, thus giving it its name. However, the explanation for fairy rings is quite simpler and less fantastical. Certain fungi cause the emergence of these fairy rings as they feed on dead organic matter in the soil.

The reason why fairy rings are circular in shape is that the original spore usually starts at the center of the ring, and it spreads horizontally on all sides. Sometimes, mushrooms grow on the edges of the ring, as a part of the fungus. If you wonder whether these fairy rings should be eradicated or not due to their nature of feeding on the grass, fungal experts suggest not to go through the trouble as it would require scooping out the soil where the fairy ring lays. Since it doesn't necessarily harm anything outside its scope, it's best to leave it as is.

(Image credit: Mrs skippy/Wikimedia Commons)


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I had a house on 10 acres and all the neighbors had 10 or more acres. I have no idea if a large expanse of land had anything to do with the fairy rings I would get on my front lawn. They did not have any mushrooms in them that I could see. I thought they were pretty cool looking.
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