Stinkhorn Fungus, Phallus impudicus, Phallaceae.

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Stinkhorn Fungus, Phallus impudicus, Phallaceae. Round, soft, fruiting bodies first appear in woodland leaf litter, often called Witches eggs. These then break open and the phallic fungus grows from it. Initially this is covered in an olive green-brown, foul smelling, sticky material containing the spores, which attracts flies. The flies eat and disperse the spores, which pass through the flies undamaged, leaving a white lattice on the head of the fungus. The fruiting body soon decays after this. Black and yellow flies are probably Muscid Fly, Thricops semicinereus, Muscidae, Muscoidea, Diptera and Red Flies, possibly Suillia variegata, Syn. Helomyza variegata, Suillinae, Diptera

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Size: 3578px × 4889px
Location: UK
Photo credit: © Naturepix / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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