Definition
A fairy ring is a circular or semicircular ring of mushrooms commonly infesting turfgrass or lawns.Etymology. Fairy: c.1300, "enchantment, magic," from O.Fr. faerie "land of fairies, meeting of fairies, enchantment, magic," from fae "fay," from L. fata (pl.) "the Fates." In ref. to a class of supernatural beings, the word is used from 1393. The slang meaning "effeminate male homosexual" is first recorded 1895. Fairy tale "oral narrative centered on magical tests, quests, and transformations" (1749) translates Fr. Conte de feés of Madame d'Aulnois (1698, translated into Eng. 1699). Fairy ring is from 1599. Fossil sea urchins found on the Eng. downlands were called fairy loaves. Ring: O.E. hring "circular band," from P.Gmc. *khrengaz (cf. O.N. hringr, O.Fris. hring, Ger. Ring), lit. "something curved," from PIE base *(s)ker- "to turn, bend" (cf. L. curvus "bent, curved," crispus "curly;" O.C.S. kragu "circle," and perhaps Gk. kirkos "ring," koronos "curved"). Meaning "place for prize fight and wrestling bouts" (c.1330) is from the space in a circle of bystanders in which such contests were once held (ringside is attested from 1866). Meaning "combination of interested persons" is from 1829. The verb meaning "to make a circle around" is O.E. ymbhringan. The circus ringmaster is recorded from 1873. Tree ring is from 1671; fairy ring is from 1626. Nursery rhyme ring a ring a rosie, is attested in an American form (with a different ending) from c.1790. "The belief that the rhyme originated with the Great Plague is now almost universal, but has no evidence to support it and is almost certainly nonsense" ["Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore"]. This connection only dates to the 1960s.
Discussion
The turfgrass in the central area of fairry rings may be dead or dying and the soil there is usually hydrophobic (repelling water due to the fungi present). The outer ring of grass in the fairy ring formation is usually a dark green with very lush turf growth. Fairy rings expand over time to become larger. They usually appear after frequent irrigation or after periods of prolonged rainfall. On golf courses, fairy rings are very unsightly due to the color banding associated with them, and can be a major nuisance.