Clump of honey fungus mushrooms or bootlace mushrooms (Armillaria mellea) at the base of a willow tree on the bank of a chalk stream. This fungus is found on or around the trunks of coniferous and deciduous trees. It is a tree parasite and the damage it causes is fatal. The fungus spreads by long black bootlace-like strands called rhizomorphs (not seen) which can grow beneath bark, along roots and through the soil. In the bottom left-hand corner can be seen the track of an infected root. Honey fungus mushrooms grow from summer to early winter and are edible once cooked