My section of SC is going through one of its driest periods. I was really surprised to find massive growths of fungi in my bone dry yard today.
What is this? Could it indicate a diseased maple tree (near which it is growing)?
Fascinating growth
I don't know what they are but I've wanted to ask the same question. These are also growing along the roots of a maple tree which had it's top broken off 5 or 6 years ago. I believe I saw others near live maples in the same area of western NC. I hope someone can help us with an ID.
I think those are honey mushrooms. I have a HUGE problem with them in my yard and dont know how to get rid of them. My understanding is that the actual fungus is under the ground and feeds on rotting wood, aka roots and stumps of diseased, dead trees. The fungus form dense mats that can spread underground for miles. The mushrooms are basically like the "flowers" of the fungus, and they bloom in the fall. My entire back yard was covered in mushrooms - thousands of them - this past fall and it scared me to death because I have dogs. They're supposedly not poisonous but it still scares me, simply because I am not 100% sure they are, in fact, honey mushrooms and not some poisonous variety.
The other problem with these is that once the fungus has devoured all the dead/rotted wood, it will actually kill healthy wood (roots) so it can then feed on them. So all the trees in my yard, including a very lovely dwarf red maple (dragon blood, I think) and a number of crepe myrtle and hollys are in danger. I have not found a way to get rid of this fungus as it's 1) underground and 2) widely spread.
This is all because a neighbor of mine (who has since passed away, so I can't even yell at him!) cut down a tree and left the stump to rot. Both his yard and mine (the tree was on the fence line of our properties) were covered with mushrooms and they were especially bad where the roots ran through our yards.
If anyone knows a way to get rid of this please help.
Uh oh... I have this growing under my maple as well