Snow Mold

I did a double-take when I looked at the melting snow bank along the roadside today.   It wasn't snow.  It looked like a giant tightly-woven spider web.

Tom knew what it was:  snow mold!

It grows on grasses covered by piles of snow, he said.  And its spores are one of the causes of seasonal allergies in the spring.

I was surprised that he knew about this lawn fungus (Typhula).  (He doesn't believe in lawns).

How'd you know about this?  I asked.

He saw a story about it on WCCO-TV this week.

The cure is simple:   exposure to the elements.  The sun to warm it up.  The wind to dry it out.