Identify Please - Fungi? - Toxic?

[DesertGrandma]

There is something growing in my garden that I can't identify. The only thing I have planted in there is tortoise seed mix, dicchondra and bermuda. Help please!! What is it and is it toxic for my leopard?

 

[mikesturtlepen]

There is something growing in my garden that I can't identify. The only thing I have planted in there is tortoise seed mix, dicchondra and bermuda. Help please!! What is it and is it toxic for my leopard?

it shouldnt be toxic but to make sure i wouldnt have my tortoise around there but ive seen those and your tortoise should be fine if it didnt eat any hope this helps.

 

[DesertGrandma]

bump...please any more opinions??? I have researched all over the internet, looking at pictures, and think it looks more like lichen, but not sure. Does anyone know if it is, or if it is toxic. If it is toxic, I am going to have to remove all the soil in my outdoor enclosure and replace it. Would appreciate any help you can give me.

 

[Yvonne G]

If you push one of them with your finger, if it comes out of the ground easily, its some sort of mushroom/fungus. Lichen would usually grow on wood and stick pretty solid to it.

 

[DesertGrandma]

It does come out of the ground. I raked it a little bit and it just popped right out with the soil. Do you have any idea what it is? It must have been in the organic soil I used in the pen, and have been watering more lately too. Do you think it is toxic? Should I worry?

 

[mikesturtlepen]

It does come out of the ground. I raked it a little bit and it just popped right out with the soil. Do you have any idea what it is? It must have been in the organic soil I used in the pen, and have been watering more lately too. Do you think it is toxic? Should I worry?

you should be fine dont worry ive seen it before and it should be harmless

 

[Len B]

It could be, false truffle, rhizopogon rubescens, just a guess. Len

 

[DesertGrandma]

Thanks everyone for the comments. If it pops up somewhere else I am going to let it grow a bit to see what it evolves into. False truffle would be nice For now, I just raked it all up and threw it away, just in case.

 

[Redstrike]

Hello,
These are "Birds nest Fungi", a saprophytic (decomposing) mushroom. Their taxonomy is currently a bit messy, but I can tell you that the "eggs" within the "nest" are a spring-loaded spore packet. When rain contacts them, a small coil is activated by the water and launches from the fungal fruiting body, spreading the spores.

I'm not sure if they're toxic, but I do see them frequently on mulched areas like gardens...let's hope your tortoise ignores them for now. I don't know if there are any Mycologists on this forum, but they might have some inclinations pertaining to the groups toxicity. Maybe poke around and see what you turn up???

 

[DesertGrandma]

Hello,
These are "Birds nest Fungi", a saprophytic (decomposing) mushroom. Their taxonomy is currently a bit messy, but I can tell you that the "eggs" within the "nest" are a spring-loaded spore packet. When rain contacts them, a small coil is activated by the water and launches from the fungal fruiting body, spreading the spores.

I'm not sure if they're toxic, but I do see them frequently on mulched areas like gardens...let's hope your tortoise ignores them for now. I don't know if there are any Mycologists on this forum, but they might have some inclinations pertaining to the groups toxicity. Maybe poke around and see what you turn up???

I'll do a little more research on that and see if I can find out anything more about toxicity. Thank you.

 

[DesertGrandma]

Hello,
These are "Birds nest Fungi", a saprophytic (decomposing) mushroom. Their taxonomy is currently a bit messy, but I can tell you that the "eggs" within the "nest" are a spring-loaded spore packet. When rain contacts them, a small coil is activated by the water and launches from the fungal fruiting body, spreading the spores.

I'm not sure if they're toxic, but I do see them frequently on mulched areas like gardens...let's hope your tortoise ignores them for now. I don't know if there are any Mycologists on this forum, but they might have some inclinations pertaining to the groups toxicity. Maybe poke around and see what you turn up???

I did a little more poking on the internet and they don't appear to be toxic as far as I can tell. Very interesting fungi. Thanks for the identification.

 

[Redstrike]

Hello,
These are "Birds nest Fungi", a saprophytic (decomposing) mushroom. Their taxonomy is currently a bit messy, but I can tell you that the "eggs" within the "nest" are a spring-loaded spore packet. When rain contacts them, a small coil is activated by the water and launches from the fungal fruiting body, spreading the spores.

I'm not sure if they're toxic, but I do see them frequently on mulched areas like gardens...let's hope your tortoise ignores them for now. I don't know if there are any Mycologists on this forum, but they might have some inclinations pertaining to the groups toxicity. Maybe poke around and see what you turn up???

I did a little more poking on the internet and they don't appear to be toxic as far as I can tell. Very interesting fungi. Thanks for the identification.

Glad to hear! I would bet that your tortoise will ignore them, being that they are so small and inconspicuous.

 

[October]

I get those too, and almost always because of the compost and/or topsoil I buy. They're in my garden boxes, which my tort can't get into to, but they seem impossible to get rid of, not that I mind them where they are.

 

[DesertGrandma]

I get those too, and almost always because of the compost and/or topsoil I buy. They're in my garden boxes, which my tort can't get into to, but they seem impossible to get rid of, not that I mind them where they are.

I'm going to try to keep them out of the tortoise area but they keep popping up. Hope Humphrey knows to leave them alone in case they are toxic. I don't think so, but not absolutely sure.