Who can tell me more about the rotten flesh plant?
Fly catcher
The fungus in the photo (left) appeared on rotting, chopped-up trees used as mulch in our garden. It is about 10 centimetres in diameter and appears to feed on insects, and so has an appropriate stink of rotting flesh. What is it?Ted Webber, Buderim, Queensland, Australia (no votes)
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(no votes)
This fungi is as some people have mentioned, it resembles a wound or small recently deceased animal. It has found its way across continents and as I reside in Australia, the possibility is quite high that its originates from here. Many people mistakenly believe it eats flies, however it does use the flies as a means of distributing pollen spores and this would explain why it appears in several continents. The flies seem to know they cannot mate or use it parasitically. Imagery only, attracts the flies to a feast they can't resist. The black tar on the surface provides the flies with nutrients, apparently enough to make their way from OZ to the UK over generations. It is important to remember fungi are not carnivorous but parasitic of other plant material. How does it create a scent to attract flies, how does it know what a piece of rotten flesh looks like even in colour in the absence of intelligence? Because evolution is part of creation.
