Rare fungus which smells of 'rotting flesh' found in Berkshire garden

Terry Driscoll and Stephanie Slann found the alien-looking fungus in their lawn in Caversham, Reading,  in the middle of July last month.

They reported the unusual find to Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), which has been confirmed as a rare red cage fungus, clathrus ruber- also known as the lattice stinkhorn because of its awful smell.

Terry, a trustee of the wildlife charity AfriCat UK, said: "When I first saw one, I thought it was a chewed-up dog toy, but they smell like rotting meat - the flies are straight on it. The other members of my family who are into wildlife have been very impressed.”

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A stinkhorn fungus that sprouted in the Caversham garden of Terry Driscoll in July 2021. Picture: Tony Hayward

The fungus is rare in Britain and is generally thought of as an introduced species. It is very common in southern Europe.

Terry and Stephanies were worried their dog would get sick or eat the rancid-smelling fungus so the Caversham resident plucked up the courage to remove it from his garden.

But as he mowed the grass in that area more of the orbs started sprouting up - each one starting as a small, white sphere and growing to about the size of a golf ball, then splitting open to reveal a gory-looking interior.

The couple have now counted 13 of the crimson cages sprouting up on their lawn.

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They have reported the outbreak to the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC), the British Mycological Society (BMS) and BBOWT.

The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) only has five accepted sightings of the fungus in the UK on its online atlas, though there have been more unconfirmed reports.

Andy Coulson-Phillips, BBOWT Ecology Officer, said: "This was a really striking find, and we are glad that Terry and Stephanie reported it. Clathrus ruber is generally considered to be a native of warmer southern Europe, so it's interesting to see it popping up in Berkshire.

“It's also important to keep a record of where uncommon species like this appear, so we can build a picture of how our natural environment changes over time. It also just goes to show that you never know where you might make an exciting wildlife discovery, so it's always worth keeping your eyes open."

Having established that the species is not considered toxic or dangerous, Terry and Stephanie have decided to let it carry on growing in their lawn - the latest outpost for the Mediterranean mushroom in the UK.