Normally, I get calls on stinkhorn mushrooms in late winter or spring but they are popping up now this fall. We have a lot around the extension office and one cannot mistake that smell when you catch a whiff.

Stinkhorn mushrooms give off a foul odor that is hard to explain. The smell is sometimes compared to rotting meat, but to me the stinkhorn has a smell all its own. I would have to say that rotten meat smells worse than a stinkhorn.

The smell is very distinctive and leaves no doubt that one is nearby. Many times, you can smell them but not see them. The smell can travel a good distance in the breeze. Clathrus ruber is the scientific name for the mushroom most commonly seen in our area.

They are sometimes called the squid stinkhorn because they somewhat resemble a small squid. Squid stinkhorn mushrooms are usually orange or reddish in color when mature. The mushroom does not look like your typical mushroom. Stinkhorns resemble three or four finger-sized projections coming out of the ground and meeting at the top. Sometimes they look like lattice.

Stinkhorn mushrooms are frequently brought into a landscape on heavy mulch or compost. They are also found in lawns. There may be just one or there may be dozens of them in the area.

At first, squid stinkhorns look like small round ping pong balls half buried at the soil surface. Then the mushroom itself will bust out and begin to grow. There are several types of stinkhorns, but they all have great stinking abilities. Phallus impudicus and Mutinus elegans, are two other species of stinkhorns.

As the mushroom matures, a slimy brown mucus ooze develops on the inside of the finger-like projections. This ooze is spores. The mushroom itself may reach four inches tall.

This smelly ooze attracts carrion beetles and green flies which carry spores to other parts of your landscape. If possible remove stinkhorns before they produce spores. Once the mushroom produces spores, the chances of having more of these unwelcome landscape pests rises.

Tilling the area may help get rid of the mushrooms. Physically removing the stinkhorns as soon as you detect them will help prevent them from producing spores.

As with other mushrooms, stinkhorns live on decaying organic matter so tilling the soil will help speed up the decaying process. As long as there is decaying organic matter in the soil you may have more visits from the stinkhorn.

Jake Price is the University of Georgia extension agent/coordinator, Lowndes County. More information: Call (229) 333-5185, or email jprice@uga.edu.