Autumn is the peak time for fungi to appear in woodlands, meadows, riverbanks, roadside verges and gardens.
Coming in all shapes and sizes, they are hugely diverse and play a major role in the ecosystem by recycling waste and organic materials to help trees and plants grow. The part of the mushroom growing above the ground, the fruiting body, produces spores to reproduce. Under the ground, the mycelium is a mass of branching thread-like structures (hyphae), which absorbs nutrients from the ground and, in some cases, connects the fungus to trees and plants.
Some are edible, some are poisonous – and it’s best to leave them alone unless you’re with an expert!
Here are just some of the fungi that have been spotted around the Tame Valley Wetlands. Click on the images to enlarge them.
