A change in the weather has brought a change in the earth as mushrooms are being spotted increasingly across lawns and grassy areas.
If you're not sure whether a mushroom is poisonous (for animals or people), it is best to pick and toss the ones growing in your yard.
"You can leave mushrooms alone if they aren't bothering you," said Carmen Flammini, a regional Extension agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System who covers Baldwin County and specializes in home grounds, gardens and home pests. "They help break down organic material, which is good for the soil. But if you don't like how they look, you can pull them out and throw them away."
Flammini said mushrooms can mean good things for the surrounding soil but recommends fixing drainage issues or airing out the soil to "cut down on mushroom growth."
Tanner Hammond, a.k.a. Mushroom Man Tan, said mushrooms begin to fruit, or appear above the ground, when the conditions are just right for the main part of the fungi that lives beneath the surface, the mycelium.
"What's initiating that fruiting is anything that makes it feel threatened," Hammond said. "Whether that's heavy rain or temperature changing suddenly, it shocks the mycelium."
The mycelium continues to live underground even after the mushroom fruit is picked. Picking mushrooms will not always stop them from coming back.
Mushrooms are not poisonous to touch, Hammond said, so no gloves or protective equipment are required for mushroom removal.
Hammond said there is a large variety of mushrooms growing now in Baldwin County. He suggested picking them if you're not sure what it is and have pets or livestock with access to the area. Flammini said a lot of mushrooms growing in Alabama yards "aren't safe to eat" and that many could be poisonous.
One mushroom to watch out for according to both experts is the chlorophyllum molybdites, or, its common name, the "vomiter mushroom." Hammond said these mushrooms typically grow in "fairy rings," which are circles of mushroom clusters, and are found in grassy patches.
"They're your basic looking white mushroom," Hammond said.
He mentioned they have dark undersides and sometimes have a green tint. As the name implies, eating this mushroom can cause severe stomach problems, so be sure you know what's growing in your yard before serving it on a plate.
"You need to get rid of any mushrooms if you have animals that might eat them," Flammini said. "Many common lawn mushrooms can make pets sick or cause worse problems."
Flammini recommended to consult a mushroom expert or specialist if you are not sure if a yard mushroom is edible.
Hammond recommended joining Facebook groups for local mushrooms and foraging information. One that he was a part of creating is the Alabama Mushroom Association Facebook group, where members can share photos of mushrooms and get a response from a mushroom professional or enthusiast for identification or general discussion.
"It's honestly the best resource," Hammond said. "Facebook groups are where I learned a lot on wild mushrooms."
Hammond also recommended the book "Mushrooms of the Southeast" by Todd F. Elliott and Steven L. Stephenson for people who "really want to get into mushrooms," especially at a beginner level.
Hammond shared that mushrooms sprouting above the ground are not always a bad sign for the quality of your soil. A high percentage of surrounding plants form symbiotic relationships with these mushrooms as they turn "waste in the soil to good nutrients" when the mushrooms break down dead organic matter in their fruiting process.
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