NORFOLK, Va. — Look in your backyard, a garden, or just about anywhere outside and you’ll find them.
Mushrooms are creating a fungi frenzy across Hampton Roads right now. That’s because they’re popping up everywhere, seemingly overnight.
“We get a lot of calls about this,” said Garrett Matthews with Matthews Landscaping.
Virginia alone is home to at least 200,000 wild mushroom species, and the current conditions are prime for growth.
“Generally, they all respond well to humid weather, and very moist weather,” said Matthews.
That is exactly what Hampton Roads and Northeast North Carolina have experienced lately, with rain in the forecast for 14 of the last 26 days, as of July 26th.
But how do mushrooms grow so quickly?
Here’s your science lesson for the day: Think of mushrooms as one part of a larger fungal body underneath the soil known as mycelium.
Before the stem and cap of the mushroom grow, branch-like structures called Hyphae are in a feeding state underground.
When the conditions are right, the hyphae switch to a reproductive state and can shoot up with explosive force. One species grows so fast that you can hear a cracking sound as it stretches.
Fascinating, yes. And worthy of admiration. But don’t eat them. Many wild mushrooms are toxic – sometimes deadly - and even experts have a tough time identifying some species.