growing & crawling:startling stinkhorn

Growing & Crawling

The Startling stinkhorn

With the rain and the heat, our mulched areas have been bursting with fungi! And while we delight in them all, the stinkhorn is the one that makes us giggle the most.

There are many different types of stinkhorn but they all have one thing in common, their smell. Stinkhorns are often described as smelling like garbage, dog poop, or rotting flesh among other delightful things. The reason for the malodor is one of survival. Once flies get a whiff of what they perceive as an excellent meal, they flock to the stinkhorn and crawl all over it, consuming the fetid slime excreted by the mushroom and picking up spores as they do so. Once the fly has had its fill they take off, spreading the spores as they land thus promoting the formation of more stinkhorns.

Unlike many mushrooms, stinkhorns actually sprout from " eggs " that have formed underground. If you were to find one of these eggs while digging in the garden and cut into it you would be treated to a sticky, goopy, foul smelling substance. What fun!

As with all fungus, stinkhorns do serve an important purpose in our ecosystem by helping break down organic matter in the soil. If you are lucky enough to spot one of these putrid smelling and suggestive looking mushrooms, take pictures quickly! Stinkhorns do not last long and will quickly melt away within hours.

By janet douberly

Janet Douberly is an employee often described as smelling like garbage at Downtown Greens.