I love anything weird. Anomalies get my attention and steal my heart. My favorite creatures include octopi, bats and mushrooms and slime molds and lichens.

Yes, I love all fungi. My favorite is the Stinky Squid Stinkhorn. I found one in my yard decades ago and the affair has continued.

My visiting friend, Lucy, spotted these in my neighbor’s yard. Santa Randy was nice enough to send photos since the all-terrain wheels for my walker have not arrived yet.

These are relatives of my first-love the stinkhorn. It will not surprise you that the genus name of the group is Phallaceae. Many indelicate nicknames for shapes include the word penis with the potential owner’s name before it: dog, man, devil’s…or  even a scientist’s name. These scientists want to be famous any way possible!

Since I am unable to examine these more closely, I must guess at the identification. Features for identification include egg colors, “stem” color and texture, length and smell of the slime on the cap.

I have no problem in skipping this process, since I cannot bend over and would rather not be seen measuring and sniffing anything phallic. I do have my limits!

My guess is it could be Phallaceae rubicundus or P. rugulosus.

I recommend you be on the lookout for these fascinating fungi. I hope the link below embeds correctly. There is an octopus stinkhorn and a lizard’s claw I would love to see.

You sticklers are welcome to come be here with gloves, a digger and a ruler to further investigate. As for me, I will watch you from my porch and take pictures.

Thank you to Lucy and Santa for your contributions to this post.

FLOW

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/stinkhorn-fungi-different-types-and-why-they-stink/