Fairy Ring Champignon

Marasmius

The Fairy Ring Champignon is a tiny mushroom that often grows in circles! It looks like a fairy gathering place.

Habitat: In grassy areas and meadows

Appearance

The Fairy Ring Champignon has a small, often wavy cap, typically pale buff to tan in color, becoming paler when dry. It sits atop a slender, tough stem and has widely spaced gills, which helps differentiate it from some poisonous lookalikes.

KingdomFungiPhylumBasidiomycotaClassAgaricomycetesOrderAgaricalesFamilyMarasmiaceaeGenusMarasmius

Fairy Ring Champignon

Interesting facts

Its cap can shrivel up completely in dry weather and magically revive with rain!

The underground part of a ring can be hundreds of years old, an ancient organism!

These mushrooms are often used to add rich, delicious flavor to soups and stews!

They release millions of tiny white spores, like fairy dust, carried by the wind!

Special abilities

Fairy Ring Champignon can shrivel up and then fully rehydrate after rain, helping it survive dry spells.

Fairy Ring Champignon has underground networks that grow outwards, helping them form perfect circular patterns in grass.

Fairy Ring Champignon can break down dead plant material in soil, helping recycle nutrients for other plants.

Measurements & details

Height: 3-10 cm
Edibility: edible
Cap Diameter: 2-5 cm
Growth Substrate: soil
Season: Spring to fall
Spore Color: White

Ecological connections

depends on

Annual Bluegrass

Poa annua

decomposes dead grass roots and blades

eaten by

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

foraging deer sometimes consume the caps

eaten by

Black Slug

Arion ater

slimy slugs often feast on the mushroom caps

Traits

Spore Producing

Discover how some plants and fungi create tiny little "seeds" called spores to help them grow new life! These tiny particles drift in the air, spreading new generations far and wide.