On a recent walk to the clubhouse, I spied octopus-like tentacles rising out of the wood chipped gardens from subterranean eggs. The tentacles were cheese doodle in texture and color. The interior of the tentacles were coated with olive-brown slime. It is a stinkhorn fungus.
If you see it, DO NOT touch it! It has an odor so rancid that it will make you want to vomit. This putrid odor attracts flies that disperse fungal spores. Otherwise, this is a harmless fungus that helps break down woody debris and commonly grows in the landscapes along the gulf coast.
