Fungi are fabulous, and none are more fabulous than profusions of fungi like these Fairy inkcaps (Coprinellus disseminatus).

Is it any wonder the Fairy inkcap is also known as the Trooping inkcap? In Fascinated by Fungi, author Pat O’Reilly takes this alternative common name and let’s his imagination run riot with it: ‘You may think that the Terracotta Army is something special, but save your superlatives until you come across your first battalion of Fairy inkcaps swarming over a rotten hardwood stump in a sunlit woodland clearing.’

The three ‘battalions’ shown here were in different woodland locations, all found on the same day, and my photos don’t show the full extent of any of their swarms – they were extensive, and delightful to see. Their caps start off a creamy colour, as in the photo above, before turning grey as they mature (photos one and three).