A single mushroom emerged recently from a bed of winter-evergreen Yarrow, Achillea millefolium. For those who subscribe to the supernatural, this one individual, minus a crew of encircled colleagues, might disappoint. With just this one, there is little hope (or dread) of otherworldly happenings.
For myself, the ‘shroom was serendipitous. I don’t often see mushrooms in my garden and typically, they appear in warmer, muggier times of year, not in cold, dry January. That being said, it hasn’t been all that cold this January and with some added damp-to-wet stuff, I guess a mushroom popping-up its spongy self from the ground shouldn’t be too surprising.
I think this particular fairy rest-stop is a Deer mushroom, Genus Pluteus. which is common throughout North America. According to iNaturalist, this mushroom grows on roots and the roots of Yarrow might make a substantial foundation for a mushroom.
For more garden stories, natural or supernatural, check out Anna’s Wednesday Vignette
And beware of fairy circles!
My Gardener Says... 
It looks very attractive there surrounded by ferny-looking foliage. I get relatively few mushrooms here in SoCal too, with most following rainy spells, of which there have also been few this season.
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Thanks, Kris. That little shroom is nicely situated, I think. I wonder if it planned that?
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Our word mushroom traces back to Vulgar Latin and therefore has nothing to do with mush or room. There’s still room to admit that mushrooms can turn mushy.
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Thanks, Steve–I can always rely on you to deliver info that brings a chuckle.
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Mushrooms are so interesting. I have had red ones popping up in my garden.
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They really are and I’m woefully ignorant about them. Some are quite beautiful, I think.
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I usually see those ‘fairy rings’ here, and occasionally see delightful, lemon-meringue pie yellow ones in soil from the garden center. In the east Texas woods, things are more interesting. I will say that this one seems a harbinger of spring, just because it needs at least a little warmth and moisture.
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It’s been a while since I’ve seen a fairy ring. I like this one, mostly because it’s sits in such a perfect little spot. I’m a bit ashamed that I don’t know much about mushrooms. I like the ones I buy to cook and eat, but I don’t really go out-of-my way to learn about those in my garden. I need to rectify that.
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Fun stuff. Mushrooms are fascinating. And your photo is really special. 🙂
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Beth, they really are interesting and going forward, I’m going to pay much more attention to their visits to my garden.
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If I were a fairy, I would totally hang out there awhile. I wish I knew more about mushrooms. I’m terribly ignorant of them, yet I love eating mushrooms. My dad is very good at ID-ing mushrooms, and I remember hoards of neighbors with mushroom baskets in hand coming to our door in autumn, to ask my father’s advice on what they had picked. Funny how nearly NONE of that rubbed off on me. Something I regret very much. 😦
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Yes, gardens are good places for fairies–if only they’d hang out when we come outside to see them! Like you, I haven’t learned about fungi and they are fascinating. Well, that gives me something new to explore!
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Ha! There you go – that’s the spirit! 😀
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It still looks like a magical little vignette!
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Haha–it is, Misti!
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Tina your mushroom is divine among the yarrow. I think it is the house of a fairy who has decided to stay and live in your wonderful garden because she is a fairy who takes care of wild animals like you. I have no idea about mushrooms, although they sometimes appear in my garden, in clumps of small mushrooms or isolated large mushrooms. I remember once that two years in a row a fungus appeared in the same place and in the same way: I really liked seeing it again. Tina take good care of you and your husband and keep you safe. A hug from my Mother and me. Thinking of you fondly. Very affectionate greetings from Margarita.
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I hope a fairy (or two!) live in my garden, but I’m not sure he/she lives under the mushroom. 🙂 You take care, Margarita!
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Like the mushroom is your weekend home !! And Tina surely many fairies live in your wonderful garden 😊 Take care. Very affectionate greetings from Margarita.
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