red cage fungus (Colus sp.) | +
Man, how is this real?
Oh, but it is. Here is an excerpt from mushroomexperts.com on Colus fungi:
Fruiting Body: Initially a whitish “egg” up to 2 cm across, attached to white cords; rupturing, with the stinkhorn emerging as a cage-like structure, 5-8 cm high, of about 10 corrugated, scarlet arms that are roughly triangular in cross-section and that fuse into a stem-like and slightly paler base composed of vertical columns; the inner surfaces of the cage covered with foul-smelling, olive brown slime; the egg tissue creating a whitish volva.
Fascinating! (Photo by Patchouli Patch)
