Identifying A Growth In My Yard

Question

I have a growth in my front yard that has been there for months. It is not a tree trunk – we never planted anything there. It is more like a fungus – pretty solid but not as hard as a tree trunk. Just wondered what it is. There is another one close to this that is forming. It is couple of inches across. The large one is about 6.5 to 7 inches long. Attached are photos of the larger one. Thank you, Sandy

• 
• 

Answer 1

I think too it is a type of fungus, possibly a Dyer's polypore. They are attached to underground tree roots, dead or alive. Most fungi are harmless and are part of the decomposition process. You probably want to remove them from your lawn if children or pets play in the area. Digging them up may not remove their attachment to underground mycelium, so they may return.

Here is more about fungi in general:

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74100.html

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/mushrooms-in-lawns/

https://www.texasmushrooms.org/en/phaeolus_schweinitzii.htm