WTF is this? Please identify!

[wineenthusiast]

I found these growing in and around the mulch around our red bud tree.  WTF is it?!!  It looks disgusting.  The stem in an orangey/red color and the top has this wet brown stuff that looks kinda like shit.  I have never seen anything like it but am thinking it may be some type of mushroom?  We've been getting a lot of normal looking mushrooms in the back yard bout none in the front yard.  It has been an extremely wet and somewhat cool summer so far.

[wineenthusiast]

Thanks! I was able to find her post and read about it. I didn't even know where to start in terms of googling it. I mainly wanted to make sure it wasn't poisonsess to my dogs if the {gag} ate it.

[purrbox]

Whoa, that looks weird!

[mrsreynolds4]

It looks like it might be similar to this, which was a Phallaceae (stinkhorn mushroom).  We got them at our old house all the time, by the rotting Cottonwoods, and they always came up in sets of 3 - one first with two eggs at the bottom.  Every.single.time one came up, my four year old DS would yell that I had to "get another penis out of the yard."




Hilarity aside... Tips for getting rid of it:
www.wikihow.com/Kill-a-Stinkhorn-Fungus

[bunnymendelbaum]

They are so gross!
And smell like rotting meat.
I'm pretty sure they don't harm dogs, but double check.

[wineenthusiast]

Jun 28, 2013 7:39:29 GMT -5 mrsreynolds4 said:

Every.single.time one came up, my four year old DS would yell that I had to "get another penis out of the yard."

That is hilarious!  And it did cross my mind that is what they resembled.

I have nothing rotting in that are but there is some cedar wood chips around the tree there.  The tree is only about 2-3 years old and the cedar chips were replaced this spring.  I'm gonna just assume its the massive amounts of rain we've had here.  There are now regular looking mushrooms in the area as well.