A Fun-Guy(gi) or a Scary Guy? Are mushrooms a good sign?

Fungi is an essential part of the ecosystem.

But they can be hard to identify and scary to touch!

Once the caps appear above the soil, a fungi 'outbreak' is already well underway. The mushroom that is visible on the surface is the fruiting body of the fungus, similar to a flower/fruit of a plant. Beneath the surface is an established mycelium network feeding on organic matter. 

As this mycelium network feeds it creates rich compost! If mushrooms pop up (typically) this is a wonderful indication of a healthy soil that is working on its own to produce food for your plants!

Fungi are strange organisms and it is impossible to generalise anything about them. While some cause no issues to touch, others can be very toxic and can be absorbed into your skin. Some are perfectly fine to consume whereas most are highly poisonous.

So it is always best to be safe and wear gloves when handling unknown fungi!

Some fungus is less of a Fun-Guy and more of a scary guy for your plants! 

Fungal infections such as rust, leaf blotch, blight, and powdery mildew can be very harmful to your plants. The best practice to prevent an outbreak once identified is to remove/destroy the impacted plant and/or soil. You can also use fungicides to kill the infection. 

The best practice to prevent outbreaks from occurring at all is to plant fungus-resistant plants and clean your tools between cutting plants to prevent any unwanted/unknowingly spread of spores.

I-Naturalist has a wonderful community that has an established location-based database and an active community to aid in the identification when you can't find a match already there!

It is a great resource to help in any region! It's not only an ID tool for fungi. You can search for animals, bugs, plants, and right down to protozoa!

Pictured: Agaric fungus (left) & Bird's nest fungi (right)