A smelly fungus

The Stinkhorn is the fruiting body of an underground fungus. The cap is initially covered with a smelly olive-green 'gleba' that is full of spores and which attracts insects; they then distribute the fungal spores via their feet. The spore mass of this specimen has been almost completely consumed by a cloud of flies; if you peek through the looking glass then you will see the one remaining fly.

If you want to see one of these exotic fungi then just follow your nose. Once you have found one, you will never forget the powerful foetid smell that contains sulphur containing compounds that are highly attractive to insects and other animals.

For some reason or other, the scientific name for the stinkhorn is Phallus impudicus, which means shameless or unchaste penis; I cannot for the life of me think why! It is said that Some Victorians, including Charles Darwin's daughter Henrietta Emma, were so disgusted or so embarrassed at the form of these phallic fungi that they attacked them with cudgels at dawn rather than allowing them to fruit and spread their spores.