Aussie woman's big question as lawn explodes with 'interesting' intruder – here's what to do

Mushroom season is upon us and one Aussie woman has sparked debate over how best to tackle an unusual-looking fungi infestation which has suddenly taken over her garden.

After questioning whether the mushies were “dangerous to people or pets” online, the NSW’s Northern Tablelands resident said she intended to mow them down when the rainy weather stopped, but was seemingly unsure whether that was a wise idea.

This sparked discussion about whether mowing them was a smart move or not, with some people arguing it was the way to go, while others said this would spread the fungi and cause more to grow.

Many people also weighed in with advice on whether the mushrooms could be eaten, with some saying yes, while they were fresh, while others believed it was "too dangerous".

So what does an expert have to say?

While mushroom foraging might be popular in some parts of the country, Professor Brett Summerall, chief scientist at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, said it was best to stay away from picking wild fungi.

He said the woman’s photos showed at least two species of Coprinus with the smaller, darker fungi being commonly known as ink cap and the taller ones as shaggy ink cap, shaggy mane or lawyer’s wig. The mushrooms are often found in Canberra, the Southern Tablelands and the South Coast of NSW.

“They are a pretty common species that come up in people’s lawns, gardens, grass areas, paddocks, pasture and the like,” he told Yahoo News Australia.

“What is interesting about the species is they auto digest – they will fade away into an inky fluid or puddle very quickly. They are up there for a relatively short period of time.”

Summerall said this process could take less than a day so the mushrooms would most likely be gone before anyone had the time to get their lawnmower out.

“They release their spores and break down very quickly into a slimy mess,” he told Yahoo. “Technically they are edible but you should not consume alcohol with them as you can get quite a bad allergic reaction, like a nausea-type reaction.”

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While they apparently can be quite tasty pureed and cooked up in a soup with onions and potatoes or in an omelette, Summerall’s response was: “Why would you?”

The fungi expert said his advice was always to leave wild mushrooms alone and not to touch them unless you were very familiar with what you were doing.

“It’s best to just leave them, best not to pick anything,” he said. “Pine mushrooms are pretty safe but anything else is pretty risky.”

Weather conditions perfect for a mushroom explosion

Summerall said mushroom season ran from May to June, while recent heavy rain had seen a sudden onslaught of growth and he had already received calls from emergency departments to identify wild species after people had fallen ill from eating them.

“The wetter conditions are perfect for them, you will see lots of species coming up at the moment in abundance,” he said. “However, my advice is – if you want to go out foraging, check the shelves in Woolworths or Coles.”

The social media post in a Southern Highlands and Surrounds community Facebook page certainly got people talking with a variety of responses.

Many correctly identified the mushrooms and said they were very common, but there were mixed views on whether they were safe to eat.

“Don’t eat anything that grows on your lawn,” one commenter advised, while another added: “Given they can kill, I only eat mushrooms I can purchase from shops that are known to be edible.”

Others said that they had seen similar mushroom explosions in their own gardens.

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