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's illustrations to A fairy ring, also known as '''fairy circle''', '''Elf circle''' or '''pixie ring''', is a naturally occurring ring or arc of Mushroom s. The rings may grow over ten meters in diameter and become stable over time as the fungus grows and seeks food underground. They are found mainly in Forest ed areas, but also appear in the Grassland s and/or rangelands. Fairy rings are not only detectable by Sporocarp s in rings or arcs, but also by a Necrotic Zone (death grass) or a ring of dark green grass. If these manifestations are visible a fairy fungus Mycelium is likely present in the ring or arc underneath. GENESIS There are two theories regarding the process involved in creating fairy rings. One states that fairy ring is begun by a Spore from the sporocarpus. Initially the spore lands on suitable ground, and as it starts to grow underground it pushes out mycelium (fungal threads) in all directions. As the mass of mycelium grows the central part dies off, leaving a disc of mycelium growing at the outer edge. Eventually, when season and weather allow, mushrooms are produced above the mycelium and release spores. Sometimes, several years may go by before mushrooms appear around a fairy ring. The underground presence of the fungus can also cause withering or varying colour or growth of the grass above. Many fairy rings are believed to be Coenocytic , meaning that an entire ring is just one large cell with multiple nuclei. The second theory, which is presented in the investigations of Japanese scientists on the '' Tricholoma Matsutake '' species, shows that fairy rings could be established by connecting neighbouring oval Genet s of these mushrooms. If they make an arc or a ring, they continuously grow about the center of this object. It is said that there are about 40-60 mushroom species which can grow in the fairy ring pattern. The best known is the edible Scotch bonnet ('' Marasmius Oreades ''), which is commonly known as a "fairy ring mushroom". NECROTIC OR RAPID GROWTH ZONES One of the three manifestations is a necrotic zone, or area in which grass or other plant life has withered or died. These are caused by the mycelia, which during a very dry year coat the roots of grasses and other herbs in , which affects plant growth, causing rapid luxuriant growth. TYPES There are two generally recognised types of fairy ring fungus. Those found in the woods are called ''tethered'', due to the fact that they are formed by Mycorrhizal fungi living in Commensalism with trees. Meadow fairy rings are called ''free'', because they are not connected with other organisms. These mushrooms are Saprophytic . The effects on the grass depend on the type of fungus that is growing, when Calvatia Cyathiformis is growing in the area grass will grow more abundantly however Clitocybe Gigantea will cause the grass to wither.Böttcher, Helmuth M. ''Miracle Drugs'' William Henemann Ltd. London 1963 p. 227 FAIRY RINGS IN FOLKTALES AND MYTHOLOGY In English Folklore , fairy rings were said to be caused by, Elves , Fairies or Pixie s dancing in a circle, wearing down the grass beneath their feet. Toads would then sit on the mushrooms, poisoning them; hence the name ''toadstool''. In Sussex they were called, “hag tracks”, in Devon people thought that fairies caught young horses and rode them in circles. In Scandinavian Folklore , these circles were attributed to elves or witches and were called ''älvdanser'', i.e. ''elf dances'', ''älvringar'', or ''heksering''. In German-speaking Europe , fairy rings are known as ''Hexenringe'', or "witches rings", stemming from an old medieval belief that the rings represented places where Witch es would have their gatherings. In Austria people thought that dragons breath burned the land. Similar myths to those in German folklore can be found in Czech, Slovak, Polish and even Russian folk tales. In the Czech language they are called ''čarodějné kruhy'', as they are thought to have been caused by a Dragon s having a rest at those places. Another myth states that fairy rings are doors into the fairies' world, transporting people to other places or making people appear in the same place in a different time. Young ladies are also warned not to touch Dew situated on the grass within the ring, due to the belief that it can cause skin problems Blake, M. 2006. Fairy mysterious. Available from: http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/latestheadlines/display.var.913422.0.fairy_mysterious.php.. TRIVIA
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Image:HexenringjpgA Fairy Ring Of ''
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Chlorophyllum_rhacodes" class="copylinks">Chlorophyllum Rhacodes '' |
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| "http://webarchiveorg/web/20060303100712/http://wwwuiono/conferences/imc7/NFotm99/October99htm''Marasmius" class="copylinks" target="_blank">oreades'' as Norwegian fungus of the month, with ring photographs - from Webarchive |
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