From fairytale toadstools to fungi that look like birds' nests, experts say some of Britain's 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 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.
Across the West Midlands, fungi enthusiasts have recorded everything from small bird's nest fungi in Birmingham city centre, to fly agaric mushrooms beneath woodland birch trees and a red cage fungus discovered in Cannon Hill Park.
Many species can go unnoticed among fallen leaves, rotting wood and the bases of trees, but Benwell said taking the time to look more closely opens up a hidden world.
With more than 15,000 species of fungi found in the UK, experts are encouraging people to photograph and record what they find, rather than pick them.
Interest in fungi has grown in recent years, according to Lucas Large, chair of the West Midlands Fungus Group, who said the organisation regularly attracted newcomers to its activities and fungi forays.
Benwell added one of the attractions was the variety of shapes, colours and forms that can be discovered throughout autumn.
The latter was spotted in Birmingham's Cannon Hill Park last year, in what Benwell said was only the second recorded sighting of the species in Birmingham and the Black Country.