Wild Wednesday - Devil's fingers fungus
This week, as it is Halloween tomorrow, we thought it apt to feature the devil's fingers fungus.
First found in the New Forest in 2000, scientifically known as Clathrus archeri, this fungus a striking and unusual species. It typically has a bright red or orange appearance with finger-like projections that emerge from a central base.
Often found in decaying wood and leaves (mulch), it hatches from a slimy, gelatinous 'egg' (a thawed egg, once frozen). As it grows, the tentacle-like arms start to protrude. The bright red colour of this fungus makes it easy to spot although it is fairly rare in the UK.
The entire structure is about five centimetres high with tentacles about seven centimetres long.
It is related to the stinkhorn mushroom - both having a strong and unpleasant smell. Flies, beetles and slugs are attracted to this rotting smell and the slime sticks to them when they come into contact with it, which has proved to be an excellent way of dispersing its spores. Accordingly, this spore dispersal, which is unique and unusual, has allowed colonisation of the entire New Forest in under 20 years, and is now found in other places in the South of England.
This fungus has an unusual shape and vivid colours making it quite distinctive, although its appearance can be off-putting and a bit spooky looking!
Read more here: Devil’s fingers fungus | The Wildlife Trusts