A Manapouri man found this stinkhorn fungus while mowing the lawn at the weekend. Photo / Supplied
A Manapouri man found this stinkhorn fungus while mowing the lawn at the weekend. Photo / Supplied
A devilish diffusion of festering flesh hit the nostrils of a Manapouri man mowing his lawn at the weekend.
The culprit; a blood red, fly-attracting native fungus known as devil's fingers (Clathrus archeri).
However, when Aaron Nicholson stumbled across the fungus he did not know what it was and tookto social media to identify it.
He had seen the specimen several years before in the same spot at the Manapouri Motels & Holiday Park, but had assumed it was a flower dropped by a guest.
"I didn't pay much attention to it, but when I saw it this time I thought, 'hang on, there's something unusual going on', so I had a closer look."