A warm September followed by a wet October promoted ideal conditions for a bumper autumnal crop of fungi to flourish.

Few species have easily recognisable English titles apart from the aptly named parasol, ink caps, chicken of the woods, stinkhorn, candle snuff and especially the familiar classic fly-agaric toadstool (pictured) often depicted in childrens books with an elf or fairy sitting on top.

When the fly-agaric rises above the soil its scarlet cap is covered in a thin translucent membrane which, upon contact with air, rapidly dries shrinks and fragments to form the evenly spaced white blotches.

Fungi play a vital role in the eco-system re-cycling rotting vegetation and dead wood back into the soil. Without the essential contribution of these 'little rotters', woodlands would become shoulder high in dead leaves and fallen branches. So, without fungi, the world as we know it would be unrecognisable.

The fungi we see above ground or on tree trunks are the fruiting bodies, containing millions of microscopic spores that are distributed into the air by various methods dependant upon the species.

The root systems consisting of massed matted tube-like structures may spread underground for hundreds of metres and can exist for hundreds of years.

Of course, whilst some fungi are edible, many are either toxic or deadly and great care must be taken when handling them. It is far safer and wiser to leave them all in place to perform their crucial function within the environment. They are truly the unsung heroes of the natural world.