According to the Daily Mail, a woman (who wishes to remain anonymous) in England recently encountered a puzzling sight in her own garden. Amid the lush green grass, wild white mushrooms were sprouting up. But the strange thing was that they formed a perfect circle, as if they had been deliberately arranged.
Of course, this woman did not plant mushrooms in her garden. So, what could have caused these mushrooms to grow in such an “orderly” manner?
Unable to explain it, she decided to take a photo and post it in a group called “Facebook Creative Gardening” to ask the online community for an explanation.
“What causes the white mushroom circle in my garden? I feel like a mushroom farmer specializing in circular shapes; some say it’s like something out of a fairy tale,” she captioned the photo.
Grass around the base of the mushrooms also grows better, creating a distinct circle.
The woman’s question attracted 58,000 responses as people shared their views on why these mushrooms had grown in this way.
One person speculated: “It usually indicates that something dead is buried there. Perhaps an old grave. Or maybe a broken underground pipe…”
“Sometimes there are old wells that were filled in; the moisture creates a perfect circle for the mushrooms,” another explained.
“I once saw a hypothesis that the circle was where an old tree stump once was,” someone else added, receiving agreement.
Many others offered more supernatural explanations, ranging from fairies to even aliens.
Mushrooms can grow in a circular pattern thanks to a type of fungus called mycelium. The fungus spreads underground from the center and produces mushrooms at the edges.
Many believe this mushroom circle is caused by an underground septic tank. “Is your septic tank below? My family has one under the garden, and the grass above it grows lush. I guess that’s it,” a man commented.
In reality, this type of circle is commonly referred to in folklore as “fairy rings”. Fairy rings have appeared in historical and folklore stories worldwide for many years, believed to be a pathway between the fairy world and the real world.
The post garnered thousands of comments before someone provided the correct answer. Some revealed that there is a type of fungus that can grow in a circle, known as mycelium. They are also whimsically referred to as “fairy rings.” Mycelium underground spreads outward in a circular pattern and produces mushrooms at the branches.
“As mushrooms grow, their body is underground and spreads evenly in all directions. When it ages, the center dies, forming a perfect circle,” one person explained. According to the University of Notre Dame, the mycelium lives underground and extends outward in a circle to seek additional nutrients. Then, mushrooms grow from the edge of the mycelium, especially in moist weather.
Dead mycelium creates a thick, waterproof layer, preventing grass roots from absorbing water and nutrients. Eventually, the soil within the mushroom circle becomes barren, and the grass gradually withers. However, at the outer edge of the circle, the grass remains lush due to the decomposition of the dead mycelium, which creates fertilizer.
This cycle can occur over centuries. The mushroom circle expands, contracts, and moves from one place to another. It delights many but also instills fear in some due to its mysterious nature.
This mushroom circle can range from several centimeters to 50 meters or more in diameter. The largest circle ever found is in Belfort, France, with a diameter of up to 600 meters, formed 700 years ago.
