On our way though a cut area near the end of our walk today, I heard a loud buzzing coming from the ground. Before I located the origin of the sound I smelled a horrendously disgusting odour, something like rotting meat. I assumed I would find a dead animal with flies and wasps about it. What I did find was a tall white mushroom with a phallus-like head covered in gorging bluebottles (sorry guys), just as you see in the photos above. Too bad I can't create a scratch and sniff picture for you -- then again, be grateful!
Here's a summary of a description of the Phallus inpudicus that I found online:
The Witches Egg, commonly known as Stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus), is a fungus worthy of the Halloween season. It shows itself in summer through to late autumn as an egg shape in the ground. Found in most woods, it is very common. The egg sack remains half buried in the soil and looks much like a freshly shelled and planted hard boiled egg.
The egg sack is soft and has a gelatinous feel with a jelly like layer beneath. At this young stage, the fungus is said to be edible, but is not highly rated. It’s also said to be an aphrodisiac, but I’m not sure for whom, except perhaps for flies.
The egg soon breaks apart and that’s when the smell starts. The fungus grows into a familiar phallic shape, rising up to 25cm high, but on average they grow to around 14cm. By this time the smell is quite obvious, a sewerish or rotting meat-like odour.
The distinctive head, which exudes both spores and stink, is initially a dark olive/black. This outer part is soon devoured by insects, leaving a white honey comb pattern with raised ribs.
Eventually the Stinkhorn dissolves back into the earth.
You can click on the images to enlarge them.
