Inky Caps in the Park

Inky caps are a group of mushrooms that have an unusual method of distributing their spores. Members of the group digest their own cap. As autodigestion takes place, the cap and gills change into a black, gooey liquid. The spores aren't digested, however. They are released in the liquid and exposed to air currents, enabling them to be carried to new areas. They are edible, but only before they start the auto digestion process, so the couple at the top right of the photo would be ok. I found this cluster on our morning walk in Hillfield Park near Solihull. This was followed by a lovely breakfast at the German Cafe as Dave was having his car brakes fixed.