Experts are encouraging families to look more closely at fungi during autumn walks, saying mushroom spotting can turn an ordinary outing into an engaging outdoor adventure. Across the West Midlands, people have found colourful and unusual species in parks, woodlands and even city centres, highlighting the hidden variety often overlooked among leaves and fallen wood.

The UK has more than 15,000 fungi species, including the iconic red-and-white fly agaric, bird’s nest fungi and the rare red cage fungus, of which only hundreds of sightings have been recorded nationwide. Specialists advise photographing and recording mushrooms rather than picking them, and warn that wild fungi should never be eaten casually because poisonous species, including the death cap, can cause severe illness or death.