What in Heaven's name IS this??

Imagine my surprise when my daughter told me we were growing carrots. This is sticking out of the ground and seems to be growing from a small pod-like thing thatis round and looks a bit like an eyeball. I am guessing a mushroom but I have never seen such a thing. There were (are still???? yikes!) several of the little "balls" in the mulch that look like a round regular store bought mushroom but when you open them are creamy colored and gooey inside. I found many of them when I was planting a flat of annuals and just removed and threw them out. Apparently this is what they turn into. Should I be scared? LOL

This message was edited Jun 1, 2006 11:26 AM

It is a horrible (harmless) smelly fungus. It comes in mulch sometimes. I call it crab claw fungus...for want of the botanical name.

Thanks. I just found the identification board and posted there, too. I will try to find it and what to do about it.

That's a Mutinus. The well-deserved common name is Stinkhorn, but I like levilya's name better.

-Greg

Edited to take back the species name. It might be elegans, but there are caninus that have that orange tint too. Whoever gave one of these the species name elegans either had a sense of humor or really liked fungi.

This message was edited Jun 1, 2006 2:57 PM

LOL!!!! I just had to say, WheW! What a scary suprise to find! I have never seen that before either! Carrots or crab claw sound about right to me for a name!!!

Well I am well used to them by now. My kids and I go on daily "stinky mushroom hunts". We see maybe 2 or 3 but it leads me to where the little balls they come from are and I can dig them up and throw them away. I suspect they will be with me awhile but it really isn;t a problem. More psychological than anything because they are SCARY looking LOL!.