Stinkhorns

Ah yes, the Stinkhorn. What a fantastic fungus!

Stinkhorns spread their spores in a different way than other fungi. A stipe, a net or even a net on a stipe spring up from the ground in a relatively quick action. Then, just as they are at their apex from their preferred substrate, the spore mass ripens quickly which results in an ingenius device, a smell. Oooo, that smell. Can'tcha smell that smell? Some stinkhorns, like Clathrus ruber, the Latticed Stinkhorn smell quite foul. Others however, like Muntinus caninus, the Dog Stinkhorn have a very pleasant smell. I have not yet had the opportunity to catch a whiff of the Devil's Dipstick. Have you?

Not only do Slugs go into a frenzy over Stinkhorns but flies also land at this most appropriate time to walk all over them, tasting and treading. For a successful Stinkhorn hunt here in Yuba City I watch where people
have taken down trees. The dead roots are just the place for for an explosion of this exciting find. And when people shred the roots down in to the ground, a great surface area of dead wood is created. Who knows where the first spores come from? Probably the flies and the air. But then, when the Monsoon season approaches, August and September (humidity but without the rain for us), BOOM! A proliferation of Stinkhorns!
 

Can I smell that again?
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Phalluscybe

More awesome photos from Hugh can be found on his website: www.hughsmith.org