IT looks like some sort of alien monster bursting from the ground but this fungus lives quite happily in Wiltshire's woodlands.

Known as elfin saddle or white saddle, it was spotted growing through the leaves on Savernake Forest floor by camera club snapper Tom Scholes.

It's toxic and contains monomethylhydrazine, which was used to power the Space Shuttle.

Among the bizarre, colourful and even elegant funghi featuring in this gallery is Vijay Patel's shot of candlesnuff, also known as stag's horn.

This growth, which makes its home on dead wood and rotting tree stumps, is used in medicine because of its anti-viral and cancer-fighting properties.