Woman spots rare ‘Stranger Things’ fungus on walk

By Lauren Beavis

A woman spotted a rare "Stranger Things" fungus on a walk.

The Devil's fingers fungus, also referred to as octopus stinkhorn or octopus fungus, reportedly has a smell comparable to 'rotting flesh'.

Pam Hawkins saw the unusual looking red fungus whilst on a walk with her husband in Battle, East Sussex.

She said: "My husband and I were going on one of our normal walks along the lanes around Battle, making our way to our allotment when the red colour caught my eye - I thought it was a piece of plastic, and walked past - don’t know what made me stop and go back, but I’m so glad I did.

"I found it last Wednesday, and did go back today to see if it was still there so I could take more photos, but there was no sign of it.

"I actually did recognise it as we’re trying to identify different fungi to potentially forage if we can be brave enough, so I’ve been looking through lots of books lately.

"Otherwise, I may not have realized it was a fungi at all!

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"When I posted it on Facebook it had a lot of comments about Stranger Things and aliens."

According to the Wildlife Trust, the Devil's fingers fungus has eye-catching red tentacles that splay out like a starfish.

It was first discovered in Britain in 1914.

The trust said: "The devil’s fingers fungus hatches from a slimy, gelatinous ‘egg’.

"As it grows, the tentacle-like arms start to protrude.

"The bright red colour of this fungus makes it easy to spot, although it is fairly rare in the UK."

The trust said the fungus has a strong and unpleasant smell - comparable to 'rotting flesh which attracts insects to arms where the spores are found'.

It added: "The spores are then spread by the visiting insects."