This morning started like any other — I stepped outside to water my flowers, only to be hit by a sharp, metallic scent that made my chest tighten. My eyes darted across the flowerbed, and then I saw it: something red, slick, and twisted among the petals, like a piece of alien flesh had erupted from the soil.
The smell was overwhelming — thick, sour, and unmistakably rotten. My heart raced as I grabbed my phone to snap a photo, hoping to figure out what I was looking at. It looked alive, grotesque, and completely otherworldly.
A quick search revealed the culprit: Anthurus archeri, better known as the devil’s fingers fungus. Originally from Australia and New Zealand, it has slowly made its way into gardens and forests worldwide, leaving unsuspecting gardeners shocked and fascinated.
The fungus starts small — a pale, egg-shaped sac hidden underground. Then, almost explosively, it bursts open, revealing crimson “fingers” that twist upward, dripping black, sticky slime. That slime isn’t just gross — it mimics the smell of decaying meat, attracting flies. The insects feed, unknowingly spreading the fungus’s spores far and wide, continuing nature’s strange and efficient cycle.
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