This fungus ((family Nidulariaceae (Nidulis -‘small nest)) feeds on decomposing organic matter has fruiting bodies that are tiny wonders of nature.
Being only a few millimetres in diameter, they are easily missed or mistaken for puffballs or slime mould spore balls. Lyn Alcock captured Cyathus olla (Field Birds Nest) cups opening on a tiny fallen twig in Foxes Lair.
The fruiting body starts like a mini puffball, before the membrane on top thins and breaks to reveal a cup containing ‘eggs’ called peridioles. Each peridiole contains spores and structure that produce them that are covered by a tough membrane. Raindrops falling directly into the cup splash the peridioles out of the cup on to grow.

 Greetings fellow Foxies, 
 Xerula genus fungi- once called Oudemansiella. look like normal soil dwelling toadstools, but are called Rooting Shanks because of a deep underground root-like extension of the long spindly stem that arises from underground wood that the fungus is decomposing. The cross section image shows a part of the "root", but unfortunately I only got a part of it while using a tyre lever to dig it out. It may even be an edible and medicinal!Fungi can be an interesting subject for kids that are shown what to look for.
A good start is to take a specimen home for further examination of their parts and to check the spore print. I printed and laminated a spore print sheet and place the cap on it and leave overnight. The spore print is the pattern of spores left on the surface. Gill colour can be unrelated to spore colour. See three spore prints in the image below. The insert on the bottom right shows the cap before removal to reveal the spore print.

Rooting shanks have bright white gills that are attached to the long thin stem and a white spore print. The moist and slippery cap is emphasised after rain.
Can you see the handsome gent with a smartphone in the image below.

Greetings fellow Foxies,
                                     I love looking at lichens after rain, when they transform from dry scabby coatings to almost iridescent grey, green, purple, yellow, etc shapes and patterns on rocks, bark, and wood that excites my imagination.
according to Wikipedia ‘a lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria (or both) living among filaments of a fungus in a symbiotic relationship. The combined life form has properties that are very different from the properties of its component organisms.’
The algae/cyanobacteria produce sugars by photosynthesis that they share with the fungi in exchange for protection, moisture and minerals. They are very tough, occurring from desert to tundra and very old. They evolved at least 400 million years ago and live longer than most organisms.
Breaking news: all lichens also contains another fungus that coats the other 2 participants and holds them together. Everything you want to know about lichens can be found on this website.

Lichens do not affect living organisms, but rely on air, water, dust,  and minerals derived from acids that they exude into underlying rock and organic matter.

Greetings fellow Foxies,
The fungus that we see above ground is the fruiting body (e.g. toadstool, puffball) that is supported by an extensive system of threads (hyphae) that gather nutrients and water.
Boletes have fleshy fruiting bodies like agarics (toadstools/mushrooms). But spores drop from tubular pores rather than gills. Polypore fungi fruiting bodies also have pores but they are generally tough and woody or leathery.

I found three species in Foxes Lair.

Some years ago I found a single Rhubarb Bolete (Boletellus obscurecoccineus) specimen near the Claypit but never again. Beautiful specimen.

Slippery Jack (Suillus luteus) is an imported species under the pine trees in the arboretum. It has a mycorrhizal association with pines and must have arrived with the seedlings. My fungal enthusiast mate Peter White (a good spore-t) had an Italian friend who regarded it as a delicacy, and cooked it. (I guess you close your eyes to avoid the yellow colour!). There are recipes on the internet – note you must peel it to avoid digestive problems.