Tubular Red Fungus in a Garden

You're walking through your garden and notice a foul smell, as if something has died. Upon further investigation, you discover a group of tubular red growths on your compost or mulch. What you have is Elegant stinkhorn (Mutinus elegans), sometimes called Dog's stinkhorn, a harmless fungus that emits a foul odor.



Where It's Found





The Elegant stinkhorn is edible in its egg stage, when it forms a white, spherical growth resembling a puffball. The stinkhorn's smelly reputation deters most people from eating it, and as with any mushroom, take special care to identify it accurately before attempting to eat it.