The NatureSpot Photo of the Month for August 2023 is this image of a Parasol Mushroom taken by NatureSpot contributor Diana Wing. More...

Is it autumn already? Much of August has felt like autumn and the fungi seem to think it's here. We are surrounded by fungi, invisible for most of the time as a network of microscopic fibres (mycelium) in the soil or under tree bark. Slowly, and held back by drought which makes if difficult for them to feed, they gather their strength. Then, when the time is right they bloom, forming the obvious fruiting bodies - "toadstools" - which produce and distribute millions of spores. But when is the right time? In most species fruiting is triggered by rainfall after a dry period and lower temperatures, particularly at night - in other words, August 2023. Diana's photo has captured the Parasol Mushroom, Macrolepiota procera,  which in a "normal" year we might not expect to see for another month. 

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