Fungi season peaks, with a foray at Highbury

Autumn is the best time of year to spot mushrooms and toadstools, and the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country is inviting people to discover them at a fungi foray in Highbury Park this month.

The foray, part of the Birmingham Fungi Festival, takes place at Highbury Hall and Park on Saturday 17 October from 2.30pm. The trust describes the festival as a chance to "go mad for mushrooms".

Why autumn?

Most of a fungus is hidden underground or inside wood, as a network of fine threads called mycelium. The mushrooms and toadstools we see are the fruiting bodies, which release spores. Many species fruit in autumn, when the ground is damp and still warm. After a very dry summer, the recent rain may trigger a burst of fungi in parks and woodlands across the city.

What you might find

Birmingham's parks and woodlands are home to hundreds of species of fungi, from the bright red fly agaric with its white spots, often found under birch trees, to bracket fungi growing on tree trunks, puffballs, earthstars and delicate ink caps.

Good places to look include Sutton Park, the Lickey Hills, Moseley Bog, the Rea Valley and the woodlands of Highbury Park itself.

Look but do not eat

Experts warn people never to eat wild mushrooms unless they are absolutely certain they are safe. Some of the most poisonous species in the world, such as the death cap, grow in the UK and can look similar to edible varieties. Poisoning can cause serious illness or death, and symptoms may not appear for many hours.

Anyone who thinks they or a child has eaten a poisonous mushroom should get medical help immediately by calling NHS 111 or, in an emergency, 999. Dog owners should also keep an eye on their pets, as some fungi are poisonous to dogs.

Why fungi matter

Fungi play a vital role in nature. They break down dead wood and leaves, returning nutrients to the soil, and many form partnerships with tree roots, helping trees to take up water and nutrients. Scientists have described the networks of fungi linking trees in a forest as the wood wide web.

About Highbury

Highbury Hall in Moseley was built in the 1870s as the home of Joseph Chamberlain, the Birmingham mayor and national politician. Its grounds, Highbury Park, are now a public park with woodland, meadows and pools.

About the Wildlife Trust

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country was founded in 1980 as the Urban Wildlife Group, and it was the UK's first urban wildlife trust. It looks after nature reserves across Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, and runs events for families, including Nature Tots sessions at its EcoPark in Small Heath.

Find out more

Details of the fungi foray and other events, and information about booking, are available on the Wildlife Trust's website. Places on some events are limited, so early booking is advised.

Leave them for others

Conservation groups ask visitors to look at and photograph fungi rather than picking them, so that others can enjoy them and the fungi can release their spores. Picking wild mushrooms is not allowed on many nature reserves and in some parks. Taking a field guide or a free identification app can make a fungi walk more interesting, although apps should never be relied on to decide whether a mushroom is safe to eat.