Carpets of mushrooms and toadstools are transforming gardens, fields and woodlands across Shropshire.

Fungi is currently thriving in unseasonably mild but damp weather conditions this autumn. Field mushrooms, tropically-coloured honey waxcap mushrooms, brightly-coloured toadstools and honey fungus, common in gardens, are just some of the species that have been spotted pushing up late this year.

Mushroom expert John Hughes, of Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said waxcaps, which range in colour from orange, bright yellow, red and green, could be found springing up.

Classic toadstools, red with white spots, are more evident in gardens where birch trees were present, said Mr Hughes.

Explaining the late showing, Mr Hughes said: “We are in late November and we are still in September as far as weather conditions go and when mushrooms would normally occur.

“They are really springing up late this year, because we have had a dry summer and autumn, and only now are we getting more damp conditions. Warm, wet conditions are what they thrive on.”

Mr Hughes added: “People are perhaps taking more notice because it is so much later, when we would be expecting more wintry conditions.”

The mild late-autumn conditions mean the time is ripe for mushroom pickers, said Mr Hughes, because insects which would normally have been present during a September display are more scarce.

“There are a lot of field mushrooms around and one of the problems is that when they come out in September there are a lot of insects and maggots, and people are a bit squeamish.”

Fungi remain one of the world’s most diverse kingdoms of life, but scientists know surprisingly little about them. They are currently creating the first genetic library of the UK’s fungi.

Currently, the UK is thought to contain anywhere between 12,000 to 20,000 species.

* Call the newsdesk on (01952) 241456 if you spot any unusual fungi.

By Ben Bentley