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Some mushrooms are big, beautiful, and poisonous. Some are big, beautiful, and edible. Some are big, ugly, and poisonous. Many mushrooms are small and dull overall. The fairy ring mushroom is one of a small number of shrooms that is small, dull, and delicious. Its distinctive nutty taste is sought after in France, where it is called “champignon.”

Growing in grass in semi-circles or circles (See "fairy rings" below.), the fairy ring mushroom is probably the most common shroom in lawns in many areas. These fairy rings break the uniform green appearance of a lawn because the grass around the mushrooms grows faster and is usually darker green. In addition, some grass turns brown, at least temporarily, as the circle expands. Mushroom-hating city dwellers go into shock if parts of their lawns are different shades of green. Thus, many residents despise the gourmet fairy ring mushroom.

Dry specimens of this mushroom will rehydrate after a rain, making it appear as if they've sprouted shortly after the clouds break. Look for this mushroom to return year after year.

What are Fairy Rings?

Mushroom hunters are the only adults who know that fairy rings do, indeed, exist.

Fairy rings are circular paths of lush dark green grass separated by a browning narrow worn zone—a path that a tethered animal might wear at the limit of a chain. Mushrooms grow in a circle in the green zones of grass. Understandably, it was once thought that the brown bare zone was worn down by dancing fairies.

In addition to M. oreades, the following city mushrooms are known to grow in fairy rings: the meadow mushroom (Agaricus campestris), the vomiter (Chlorophyllum molybdites), and the shaggy parasol (Lepiota rachodes). Unlike M. oreades, some kinds of mushrooms that form fairy rings do not affect the lawn at all.

In the U.S., stories suggest that fairy rings of mushrooms are said to mark the path of dancing fairies. A Swedish folk tale warns that if you enter the ring, you will become controlled by fairies. In Germany, it's told that the dead grass in a fairy ring marks the landing spot of a scorching dragon. And English stories advise that it's good luck to build a house on a fairy ring.