Note to The Tempest, 5.1.37, "green sour ringlets"


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The Tempest,
Act 5, Scene 1, line 37
     There was a lot of folklore about fairy rings. Some thought that they were created when fairies danced in a ring; some thought that the rings served as portals between the realm of fairies and our world.

     We now know that fairy rings are created by the growth of mushrooms, often from decayed tree roots. The mushrooms can take so many nutrients from the soil that the grass doesn't grow, as you can see in the photo below.

Fairy ring, showing both mushrooms and barren dirt.