Common Stinkhorn

Description:

This smells a lot, hence why the flys are liking it. Inedible in this form but the 'witches eggs' apparently are edible. The witches eggs are the white, egg-shaped mushrooms arranged on the ground that will eventually give birth to the abomination in the photographs. It's important to slice the witches eggs in half first and make sure it's not just a yet-to-be 'Death Cap mushroom' or any other poisonous Amanita mushroom!

Notes:

I found these growing in coniferous woodland. The smell I got from these wasn't particularly nice although it was more sweet or aromatic than I expected it to be. I didn't stand downwind of it however. Fairly widely spaced group of four (about two or three meters between each fruitbody).