Wood decay fungi

Q&A: Native or Invasive? Helpful or Harmful?

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Q: Should I remove these fungi or are they beneficial to wildlife?

Fruiting body of a wood-decay fungus (Ganoderma) growing in a lawn.

A: This is a type of Ganoderma or a shelf fungus. They are wood decay fungi. You likely have some wood under the turf that they are feeding on. We do not recommend consuming them. If you don’t have any curious pets or children, you can leave them to fulfil their ecological role! 

Q: Should I weed this plant or is it beneficial to wildlife?

An American burnweed plant showing seed heads. The white fluffy balls are comprised of many individual seeds, each with a few whitish to silvery hairs attached. The hairs help the seeds disperse through the air.
American burnweed going to seed. The whitish-silvery hairs attached to the seeds help
them disperse through the air.

A: Burnweed is a native summer annual in the aster family. It grows fast, produces abundant seeds, and can easily spread into garden beds and unmanaged areas of your yard. Various insects will eat this plant, and pollinators, especially wasps, visit the blooms, but it is not a critically important host plant for native insect species. 

A large, lush American burnweed plant growing next to a walkway. It is considered a weed.
A lush American burnweed plant in early summer. Photo credit: J. Traunfeld

By Emily Porter, Horticulturist, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center. Emily answers Ask Extension questions and helps manage HGIC’s Facebook and Instagram.

Have a plant or insect question? The University of Maryland Extension has answers! Send your questions and photos to Ask Extension. Our horticulturists are available to answer your questions online, year-round.