Why families are being urged to look closer on autumn walks
Experts are encouraging families in the UK to explore local parks and woodlands during autumn to spot diverse fungi species. Rather than picking the mushrooms, enthusiasts are urged to photograph and record their findings to help document the country's biodiversity.
Why it matters
Promotes outdoor engagement and citizen science, helping to document ecological health and species distribution in urban and rural environments.
Image source, James Benwell Image caption, James Benwell says searching for fungi can turn an ordinary family walk into an outdoor adventure
From fairytale toadstools to fungi that look like birds' nests, experts say some of Britain's most unusual mushrooms are beginning to emerge as autumn arrives.
Hidden in parks, woodlands and nature reserves, species ranging from the bright-red fly agaric to the rare red cage fungus can be found by anyone willing to slow down and take a closer look.
For James Benwell, of the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, searching for fungi has become a way to explore the outdoors with his young son.
He said mushroom spotting can transform an ordinary walk into an adventure, revealing colourful and unusual species that many people pass by without noticing.
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