• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Erupting Mushrooms Lift Driveway

OneWingedBird

OneWingedBird

Beloved of Ra
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Messages
15,431
Gotta watch out for those erupting mushrooms!

Erupting mushrooms lift driveway

A couple were left baffled when their driveway started to erupt only to find it was caused by a crop of mushrooms.

David and Carolyn Phillips of Reading, Berkshire, said they could not believe their eyes when the tarmac outside their home started lifting last week.

They thought the hump must have been caused by a tree root but when they called in an expert he was baffled.

It was only when Mr Phillips decided to cut away the top of the lump that he found the crop of mushrooms.

He said: "We noticed a hump starting to appear in our tarmac driveway.

"Over the course of the following few days it started to grow into a sort of mini eruption."

None of the people we had contacted could believe that the eruption on the driveway could be caused by mushrooms
David Phillips

The concerned pair contacted a local tree surgeon but he concluded it must be some sort of ground shifting, possibly a collapsed drain.

But when the council and water board could not find the root of the problem the couple were told as it was on their land they would have to investigate it themselves.

"We decided to take the potential risk of having our whole driveway dug up and break open the area of lifted tarmac expecting the worst," Mr Phillips added.

"Instead out popped a clump of mushrooms."

The tarmac driveway had been constructed about 20 years ago and there was no indication that anything may have been growing underneath, Mr Phillips added.

"None of the people we had contacted could believe that the eruption on the driveway could be caused by mushrooms.

"We can hardly believe it either."
Click to expand...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berk ... 699964.stm
 
but mushrooms are weak and from that pic they were not that big even a group i would of thought could not of even lifted the tarmac like that its very strange that.

i have never heard of that before and it certainly is a weird story.
 
Mushrooms are not weak - the hydrostatic pressure they can exert is massive - it's part of the mechanism that can allow them to grow very quickly. Mushrooms (of the right species) can easily lift up a paving stone let alone wreck a bit of tarmac.

Gordon
 
gordonrutter said:
Mushrooms are not weak - the hydrostatic pressure they can exert is massive - it's part of the mechanism that can allow them to grow very quickly. Mushrooms (of the right species) can easily lift up a paving stone let alone wreck a bit of tarmac.

Gordon
Click to expand...

wow really didnt think they could be that strong!

they just look so fragile so to speak wont be making that mistake again :D
 
Mushrooms can have a lot of force. Living in the middle of a forest I see it every spring. I've seen mushroom eruptions roll entire trees over in a matter of a couple of hours.
 
UsedtobChrisFord said:
Mushrooms can have a lot of force. Living in the middle of a forest I see it every spring. I've seen mushroom eruptions roll entire trees over in a matter of a couple of hours.
Click to expand...

wow!

it must be some sight that, i never for one moment thought mushrooms could do that.
 
Heres another giant mushroom. Vid at link.

Giant fungus found in China
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23483205

28 July 2013 Last updated at 12:39 GMT Help

A giant fungus the size of a tyre has been found by villagers in China's Jianshui County.

The large clump of mushrooms, which weighed more than 15 kilograms and measured nearly a metre in diameter, was proudly put on display by the finder.

It is not known what type of fungus it is or whether the mushrooms are safe to eat.
Click to expand...
 
Love the response - what is it? Can we eat it? Humanity still has the right priorities!
 
Could be the best definition ever of an optimist (can we eat it) and a pessimist (will it eat us) has just been devised!
 
Screenshot 2023-07-11 at 11.32.46 PM.jpg

https://flic.kr/p/dXGvLw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agaricus_bitorquis
 
Another giant mushroom. Vid at link.

Giant mushroom found in Polish forest
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24292021

26 September 2013 Last updated at 20:15 BST

A massive mushroom has been found in a forest in north-western Poland.

The boletus, which weighs 3kg and has a diameter of 40cm, was found in the Bydgoszcz forest by a man from Ciechocinek.

He says part of the mushroom may be used in a Christmas dish.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top