Strange Orange dust on Peckham Rye

[Bjork]

Has anyone else noticed weird orange mud/dust on their shoes after walking on the grass on Peckham Rye? I?ve been cutting across the grass to work for the past year but the orange mud is a recent thing, just the last few weeks

[J27]

Yes, we get orange feet when we walk the dog in PR Park - we've been wondering why...

[Bjork]

What with this and the plague of frogs mentioned elsewhere it's all looking very 'end of days' in SE22, wonder what it is?

[Humdinger]

I'd wager its all down to that beastly family friendly music festival that was held on Peckham Rye Common back in May.

I'll be using this as ammunition when it rolls around again next year, writing to my MP as i was prevented from walking my dog due to the orange dust.

[TheArtfulDogger]

NASA are secretly filming their their first manned Mars mission on Peckham rye at night by covering it in iron oxide dust and it will be used to fool us all, just like the fake moon landing conspiracy theory

Only to be exposed by a random lump of dog poo mysteriously transported from goose green to "Mars" on the boot of one of the astronauts

You heard it on the EDF first

[DulwichFox]

Could be a sand/dust storm from the Sahara carried over by the recent very hot weather.

Quiet a common phenomenon over the years

DulwichFox

[Penguin68]

'Lawn sand' is commonly applied to grassy areas to encourage drainage (you would normally spike the lawn as well, using a spiked roller). Is it possible that the grassy areas have been so treated?

[prit]

surely it's the bottles of orange liquid...

[LoulaRose]

Yesterday I came back from Horniman Gardens with orange dust on my shoes. I couldn?t work out what is was from....

[Nandalf the Grey]

I had orange dust all over my shoes last week, so did my aunt. They don't put sand on the meadow bits near the back of the Elms, that's where I think we got it.

[tiddles]

This Happens every year so i think it is some sort of fertilser

[lilaclou]

I think it?s a common fungal growth that appears in late summer known as ?lawn rust?

[seenbeen]

yep- lawn rust- this time of year all fungi send out spores

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/lawn-care/lgen/lawn-grass-rust-fungus.htm#targetText=Rust%20is%20a%20fungal%20disease,when%20their%20growth%20is%20slowed.&targetText=Lawn%20rust%20can%20weaken%20the,require%20fungicides%20in%20most%20cases.

[Houseoflego]

It was in Dulwich park last Sunday too.

[Bjork]

Yay thanks to everyone for their suggestions, looks like lawn rust is the culprit - can?t believe I?d never heard of it before. Shame it?s not the Martian dust though...

[PeckhamRose]

Never heard of lawn rust. Can't believe it is the first time this has happened in 36 years of living across the road from the park, and as someone who suffers fungal issues in the lungs, YIKES! Never noticed it before though!