Fungi hunting is a fun activity for the whole family and October is when they're at their best - time to get out there!

Wherever you are you are surrounded by fungi. Not always visible to the naked eye but they're there. They're in your kitchen - in your food. To make a loaf of bread or a pint of beer they are essential ingredients. They are present all year, but October is a great time to go fungi hunting as it's when huge quantities of the species push up their fruiting tops in order to release their spores for future generations.

The world of fungi is fascinating! Fungi are strange, often attractive, always intriguing, and above all they are fun. There are plenty of friendly fungi to enjoy on your plate, but there are those that are poisonous, so NEVER eat any if you are uncertain. Fungi are also used in medicines, in beauty products and they are essential to our soils.

You can't make "good compost" without the magic of those unseen fungi. Fungi help break down organic matter and without their decomposing activities the world would disappear under a mountain of unrotted dead leaves and logs! In the process they help store carbon and release other nutrients into the soil which help plants grow.

There are roughly 200,000 known species of fungi across the globe, with roughly 15,000 found within the UK. That's a lot of fungi to hunt down!

They come in all shapes and sizes as well as many different colours. There are those who grown on trees, on logs and those that come up through the soil. We're not fungi experts but love exploring the farm at this time of the year and discovering the multitude of varieties. Just last weekend some of the grandchildren shouted they'd found "a magical fairy kingdom" as they came across some logs covered in hundreds of beautifully formed tiny fungi.

Half-term is right around the corner, and if you're looking for a fun activity for the whole family, why not try fungi hunting.