Paul Hobson / Weasel (Mustela nivalis) investigating birch stump with bracket fungus in autumn woodland, Sheffield.

Theo Bosboom / Autumn trees with Bracket fungi, Leuvenumse bos, the Netherlands, November

Wild Wonders of Europe / Wothe / European beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest, with Tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) growing on the trunk of a tree, Stuzica primeval Forest, Unesco World Heritage Site, Poloniny National Park, Western Car...

Wild Wonders of Europe / Wothe / Horse's hoof / Tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) on tree trunk, European beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest, Stuzica primeval Forest, Unesco World Heritage Site, Poloniny National Park, Western Carpathian...

Wild Wonders of Europe / Wothe / Horse's hoof / Tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) growing on dead tree, Morske Oko Reserve, Vihorlat Mountains, Western Carpathians, Eastern Slovakia, Europe, May 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Ruiz / Bracket fungus (Phellinus igniarius ?) on fallen dead tree trunk beside Krinice River, Kyov, Ceske Svycarsko / Bohemian Switzerland National Park, Czech Republic, September 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Ruiz / Bracket fungus (Phellinus igniarius ?) on fallen dead tree trunk beside Krinice River, Kyov, Ceske Svycarsko / Bohemian Switzerland National Park, Czech Republic, September 2008

Wild Wonders of Europe / Biancarelli / Polypore fungus (Coriolus versicolor) on a stump in Corkova Uvala virgin forest, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia, October 2008

Kirkendall-Spring / Many Zoned Polyphore {Coriolus /Tramates versicolor} growing on a fallen log, Big Redwoods State Park, California, USA

Nick Upton / Horse's hoof / Tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) growing on a rotten Downy birch (Betula pubescens) tree trunk which a woodpecker has drilled a hole into, Muraka Forest reserve, Estonia, April

Sven Zacek / Ural owl (Strix uralensis) fledgling chick attempting to climb old Birch (Betula sp) tree with Bracket fungus. Tartumaa, Southern Estonia. May.

Paul Hobson / Horse shoe fungus (Fomes fomentarius) on dead Birch (Betula sp). Nottinghamshire, England, UK. August.

Philippe Clement / Chicken-of-the-woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) fungus in early stage growing on dead tree stump in summer, France, July

Philippe Clement / Artist's bracket fungus (Ganoderma applanatum / Ganoderma lipsiense) on tree trunk, Belgium, October

Philippe Clement / Oyster mushroom / Oyster bracket fungus (Pleurotus ostreatus) growing on tree trunk in autumn forest, Belgium, October

Bruno D'Amicis / Autumn colours and ancient Beech (Fagus sylvatica) tree with Tinder fungus (Fomes sp.) growing on its trunk in Coppo del Principe old-growth Beech forest. Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park / Par...

Bruno D'Amicis / Autumn colours and ancient Beech (Fagus sylvatica) tree with Tinder fungus (Fomes sp.) growing on its trunk in Coppo del Principe old-growth Beech forest. Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park / Par...

Bruno D'Amicis / Fungus gnat (Mycetophilidae) feeding on tinder fungus (Fomes sp.) in old-growth Beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, Italy. September

Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of China / Bracket fungi growing on tree, Ta Cheng Nature reserve, Yunnan, China, October 2017.

Kirkendall-Spring / Chicken of the woods fungus (Laetiporus sulphureus) in Olympic National Park. Washington, USA. September.

Adrian Davies / Dryad's saddle (Polyporus squamosus) bracket fungus on moss covered log. Surrey, England, UK. May

Markus Varesvuo / Black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) on birch tree trunk with drilled hole, feeding on bracket fungus (Piptoperus betulinus) tongue visible, Helsinki, Finland, February.

Lynn M. Stone / Paper birch tree (Betula papyrifera) trunk covered in Birch polypore bracket fungi (Piptoporus betulinus) October. Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont, USA

Philippe Clement / Chicken-of-the-woods / crab-of-the-woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) growing on tree stump in forest in summer, Belgium, July

Philippe Clement / Emerging fruiting body / basidiocarp of Birch polypore (Piptoporus betulinus) bursting through birch tree bark, Belgium, August

David Kjaer / Dyer's Mazegill (Phaeolus schweinitzii) Hampshire, England, UK, September.

David Kjaer / Dyer's mazegill (Phaeolus schweinitzii) Hampshire, England, UK, September.

Dong Lei / Fungi (Meripilus giganteus) Meili Snow Mountain National Park, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Yunnan Province, China. July

Alex Hyde / Bracket fungus growing on tree stump in tropical rainforest. Danum Valley, Sabah, Borneo.

Ingo Arndt / Hoof / Tinder Bracket Fungus (Fomes fomentarius) on Beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) in autumn forest, Moenchbruch, Hessen, Germany, November 2007.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Scottish wildcat (Felis silvestris grampia) inside camouflaged spring trap. Genetic testing and semen sampling to be undertaken, Strathsprey, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK, February 2017.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Conservationists from the Royal Zoological Society Scotland / RZSS checking live trap with Scottish wildcat (Felis silvestris grampia) inside. Genetic testing and semen sampling to be undertaken, Stra...

Philippe Clement / Giant polypore bracket fungus / Black-staining polypore (Meripilus giganteus / Polyporus giganteus) on tree-stump, Belgium, October.

Mike Read / Birch polypore bracket fungus (Piptoperus betulinus) on Silver birch tree (Betula pendula) Great Huntley Bank, New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England, UK, October.

Mike Read / Southern bracket (Ganoderma australe) growing on Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Anderwood Inclosure, New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England, UK. October 2014.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Cinnabar red polypore (Pycnoporus cinnabarinus) on branch, Bienwald, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Hairy curtain crust / Hairy stereum (Stereum hirsutum) bracket fungi growing from a rotting log, Bienwald, Pfalz, Germany. August. Meetyourneighbours.net project

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Hairy curtain crust / Hairy stereum (Stereum hirsutum) bracket fungi growing from a rotting log, Bienwald, Pfalz, Germany. August. Meetyourneighbours.net project

Nick Upton / Dryad's saddle / Pheasant's back (Polyporus squamosus) bracket fungi growing from a rotten Ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) trunk, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Dryad's saddle / Pheasant's back (Polyporus squamosus) bracket fungi growing from a rotten Ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) trunk, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Dryad's saddle / Pheasant's back (Polyporus squamosus) bracket fungi growing from a rotten Ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) trunk, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Bracket fungus (Perenniporia fraxinea) developing on an Ash tree trunk (Fraxinus excelsior) in woodland, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, November.

Nick Upton / Bracket fungus (Perenniporia fraxinea) developing on an Ash tree trunk (Fraxinus excelsior) in woodland, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, November.

Nick Upton / Southern bracket fungus (Ganoderma australe) on an English Oak tree trunk (Quercus robur) in woodland, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, November.

Nick Upton / Southern bracket fungus (Ganoderma australe) on an English Oak tree trunk (Quercus robur) in woodland, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, November.

Nick Upton / Silverleaf fungus (Chondrostereum purpureum) bracket fungi growing from a sawn log, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, October.

Nick Upton / Hairy curtain crust / Hairy stereum (Stereum hirsutum) bracket fungi growing from a rotten Ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) trunk, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, October.

Nick Upton / Hairy curtain crust / Hairy stereum (Stereum hirsutum) bracket fungi growing from a rotting log, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, November.

Nick Upton / Hairy curtain crust / Hairy stereum (Stereum hirsutum) bracket fungi growing from a rotting log, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, November.

Nick Upton / Hairy curtain crust / Hairy stereum (Stereum hirsutum) bracket fungi growing from a rotting log, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, November.

Nick Upton / Hairy curtain crust / Hairy stereum (Stereum hirsutum) bracket fungi growing from a rotting log, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, November.

Doug Wechsler / Hen of the Woods fungus (Grifola frondosa) Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, USA October

Colin Varndell / Southern bracket fungus (Ganoderma Australe) growing on a Beech tree (Fagus sylvatica), New Forest, Hampshire, England, UK. November.

Murray Cooper / Bracket fungus, Amazon, Ecuador

Pete Oxford / Bracket fungus in cloud forest, Mindo Cloud Forest, Ecuador

Cyril Ruoso / Violet-toothed polypore fungus (Hirschioporus pergamenus ) Pyrenees, France, November.

Cyril Ruoso / Violet-toothed polypore fungus (Hirschioporus pergamenus ) Pyrenees, France, November.

Cyril Ruoso / Horse's hoof / Tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius), Alberes Mountains, Pyrenees, France, October.

Andy Sands / Oak mazegill (Daedalea quercina) bracket fungus with wide gill-like pores, Buckinghamshire, England, UK, November

Andy Sands / Birch polypore or Razor Strop Fungus (Piptoporus betulinus) on silver birch trunk, Hertfordshire, England, UK, October. Focus stacked image

Andy Sands / Oak mazegill (Daedalea quercina) large group of bracket fungi growing on dead oak tree trunk, Buckinghamshire, England, UK, November

Stephen Dalton / Bracket fungus (Trametes versicolor) Sussex, UK

Stephen Dalton / Woolly tooth bracket fungus (Phellodon tomentoso) Sussex, UK

Matthew Maran / Birch bracket fungus / Razor strop fungus (Piptoporus betulinus) Hampstead Heath, London, England, UK. October.

Matthew Maran / Lacquered bracket fungus (Ganoderma resinaceum) Hampstead Heath, London, England, UK. October.

Andres M. Dominguez / Chicken-of-the-woods fungus (Laetiporus sulphureus) Linares, Cantabria, Spain, August.

Will Watson / Southern bracket (Ganoderma australe), growing on London Plane (Platanus x acerifolia), The Weir Garden, National Trust, Herefordshire, England.

Solvin Zankl / Chicken of the woods fungus (Laetiporus sulphureus) Niedersechsische Elbtalaue Biosphere Reserve, Elbe Valley, Lower Saxony, Germany

Juan Carlos Munoz / European beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunk covered in moss with bracket fungi growing on trunk, Beech forest, Oianleku, Penas de Aia Natural Park, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain, April.

Paul Hobson / Weasel (Mustela nivalis) investigating birch stump with bracket fungus in autumn woodland, Sheffield, England, UK.

Colin Varndell / Sulphur polypore bracket fungus, or 'Chicken of the woods' (Laetiporus sulphureus) New Forest, Hampshire, UK September. Edible species

Paul Hobson / Dryad's saddle fungus (Polyporous squamosus) growing on tree stump, South Yorkshire, England, UK.

Paul Hobson / Dryad's saddle fungus (Polyporous squamosus) growing on tree stump, South Yorkshire, England, UK.

Alex Hyde / Birch bracket Fungus / Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus) growing on dead silver birch tree (Betula pendula), Surrey, UK. October.

Alex Hyde / Birch bracket fungus / Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus) growing on dead silver birch tree (Betula pendula), Surrey, UK. October.

Cyril Ruoso / Crab of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) Burgundy, France, June.

Staffan Widstrand / Hoof tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) in old mixed conifer and broadleaf forest, Punia Forest Reserve, Lithuania, May.

Staffan Widstrand / Hoof tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) in old mixed conifer and broadleaf forest, Punia Forest Reserve, Lithuania, May.

Staffan Widstrand / Hoof tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) in old mixed conifer and broadleaf forest, Punia Forest Reserve, Lithuania, May.

Nick Upton / Dryad's saddle (Polyporus squamosus) growing on an Ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior), GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Turkey tail fungus / many zoned polypore (Trametes versicolor) growing on mossy tree stump, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, October.

Nick Upton / Pink bracket fungus (Postia sp) with weeping pores, GWT Lower Woods reserve, Gloucestershire, UK, October.

Adrian Davies / Dyer's Mazegill Fungus (Phaeolus schweinitzii) growing on root of Scots Pine tree. Surrey, UK, October.

Adrian Davies / Dyer's Mazegill Fungus (Phaeolus schweinitzii) growing on root of Scots Pine tree. Surrey, UK, October.

Adrian Davies / Tinder Bracket Fungus (Fomes fomentarius) on Birch (Betula) stump, Surrey, UK, October.

Adrian Davies / Dyer's Mazegill Fungus (Phaeolus schweinitzii) growing on root of Scots Pine tree. Surrey, UK, October.

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Red bracket fungus on trunk of fallen tree, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar.

Enrique Lopez-Tapia / Red bracket fungus on trunk of fallen tree, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar.

Alex Hyde / Beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica) bracket fungus growing on English Oak tree (Quercus robur). Derbyshire, UK. September.

Adrian Davies / Birch mazegill fungus (Lenzites betulina). Grows on Silver Birch. Close-up of underside showing pattern of gills.

Philippe Clement / Tinder fungus / hoof fungus (Fomes fomentarius) growing on English oak (Quercus robur), February.

Nick Upton / Turkey tail fungus / Many zoned polypore (Trametes versicolor) growing on rotting log, Gloucestershire, UK, October.

Nick Upton / Birch bracket fungus / polypore (Piptoporus betulinus) growing from dead silver birch tree, Gloucestershire, UK, October.

Markus Varesvuo / White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos / Picoides leucotos) male on Birch tree trunk with bracket fungi (Piptoperus betulinus), Kotka, Finland, January

Markus Varesvuo / White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos / Picoides leucotos) male on tree trunk beside bracket fungus, Kotka, Finland, January

Markus Varesvuo / White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos / Picoides leucotos) male on tree trunk, Kotka, Finland, January