Lawn Mushrooms

What it looks like

Classic cap-and-stem mushrooms in white, tan or brown, scattered or in small clusters; round white puffballs; foul-smelling orange or white stinkhorns; or little cup-shaped bird's nest fungi in the mulch. They appear overnight after wet weather and collapse within a few days. The grass around them is usually fine. If they come up in an arc or circle, or the grass in a ring is darker green or dying, see fairy ring instead.

Often mistaken for: Fairy ring (which forms rings and affects the grass), slime mold, or dog vomit fungus on mulch

When it shows up in the Triangle

Any warm, wet stretch from spring through fall in the Triangle, and especially late summer and early fall after a run of thunderstorms. They are common the first few years after a tree is removed or a new house is built, while the buried roots and scrap wood rot away.

Where you’ll see it

Lawns over old tree roots, stumps and construction debris, heavily mulched beds, shady wet areas, and anywhere the soil stays damp for days.

What you can do

• Pick, rake or mow them off if they bother you; it doesn't hurt anything and they will fade when things dry out
• Keep small children and pets from eating them, since some lawn mushrooms are toxic and they are hard to tell apart
• Water deeply and less often so the surface dries between waterings
• Dig out old stumps, roots or buried lumber if a spot keeps producing them
• Core aerate and reduce thatch to speed up decomposition of what is down there
• Skip lawn fungicides; they are not meant for mushrooms and won't stop them