I know one of the things that some people enjoy on this blog is the odd quirky thing that I post about. They don’t come much more odd than this British fungus – the Stinkhorn.
It has the scientific name Phallus impudicus from the Greek for 'penis' and the Latin for ‘flouting the accepted sexual code’– most appropriate in the light of its shape.
The honeycombed head is covered by an olive sticky spore mass which gives off a foetid stink which smells rather like the remains of a dead elephant. Even I with my poor sense of smell can locate one from yards away.
The stink attracts flies as the photos demonstrate. The flies then spread the spores around the woodland floor helping the Stinkhorn to spread.
I remember seeing something similar looking in Germany but with-out the odour...nasty thing, this...remarkable snaps tho' :)
ReplyDeleteJohn, Now come on, how many dead elephants do you find on the Wirral?
ReplyDeleteGrand shots of the Stinkhorn. Don't know how you could get that close.
Cor! I can smell it from here...
ReplyDeleteLove Granny
You're forgetting Chester Zoo, Adrian! Mind you, I don't think they leave them lying around so you're probably right.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the internet so far does not include odours...
ReplyDeleteJohn, as you know by now, I like blogs to be totally factual, yours if not mine!
ReplyDeleteYes, FAR beyond quirky.
ReplyDelete;^)