The largest and main part of the fungus is hidden within the substrate that the fruiting body grows from, whether that’s the soil, rotting wood, dung or even nuts and seeds. It’s a dense, tangled network of threads (called hyphae) that together are known as a mycelium.

These networks can stretch for metres (or in rare cases miles) through the soil, connecting fungi to the roots of trees, grasses and other plants. Typically, this coexisting is symbiotic: the fungus gives the plant nutrients from the soil and the plant supplies the fungus with carbohydrates formed through photosynthesis.

The fruiting bodies of fungi produce microscopic spores, which need to be dispersed in the same way as seeds from a tree. Some fungi fire out their spores like a cannon, launching them into the air. The puffball is a common species well known for its explosive release of spores – when a mature mushroom is compressed by rain or a passing animal it puffs out a cloud of spores from a hole in the top.

The fly agaric is a very recognisable fungus: the mushroom's distinctive red cap and white stalk is the typical fairytale toad stall. The fly agaric is found in woodlands, parks and heaths with scattered trees, typically growing beneath birch trees or pines and spruces. The colourful fruiting bodies can usually be seen between late summer and early winter.

Another well-known fungus is the stinkhorn fungus. The stinkhorn is a phallus-shaped fungus that emerges from an egg-shaped base. The pitted, bell-shaped cap is covered with olive-brown slime. As the name suggests, the stinkhorn… stinks, the smell attracts insects to the fruiting body. The spores of the stinkhorn are contained within the slime that covers its cap, visiting insects pick up the spores helping to scatter them.