Stinkhorns are a group of fungi that bear a stinky, slimy mass of spores on the head of a stalked fruiting body (shown here) or on a lattice (shown below). The spore mass smells like rotting meat or feces, and attracts hordes of flies and other insects. The spores stick to the flies and are dispersed when the flies go elsewhere.
Stinkhorns start out enclosed in a universal veil, from which they emerge to take their mature form. Often, the universal veil remains as a cup at the base of the stalk
Lattice stinkhorns are rare in this country, being mainly a tropical phenomenon, but a few occur along the gulf coast and in California. The expanded lattice is shown "clean" here: after the flies have already removed all of the dark green gleba.
