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Plant Pathology

Department of Plant Pathology

CFAES

Steady rains cause some of Ohio’s hidden fungi to surface in suburbia

July 6, 2015

Columbus Dispatch - July 5, 2015 - As rain continues to fall across central Ohio, wet and weary residents likely have noticed something growing in the tall grass in their yards. Mushrooms are popping up everywhere — under backyard decks, on tree trunks, along curbs. You might see patches of them or just a solo cap. Where do they come from? You’ve got to dig deep for the answer. They lurk there underground, just below the surface, waiting for the right conditions to sprout. That’s why they show up so quickly.  In fact, the mushrooms homeowners see in their lawns are just the tips of the fungal iceberg, said Walt Sturgeon, a member of the Ohio Mushroom Society. “Think of it like a tree underground and the mushroom is the apple.”
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