While watering her flowers one morning, the narrator was struck by a sharp metallic odor and discovered a red, slimy growth twisting among the petals. The grotesque sight looked almost alive, its foul stench filling the air. A quick search revealed it was Anthurus archeri, the “devil’s fingers” fungus, a bizarre mushroom native to Australia that has spread worldwide.

She learned that it begins as a white sac that splits open to reveal crimson, tentacle-like arms coated in a black slime. The smell, though nauseating, has a purpose—it mimics rotting flesh to attract flies, which spread the spores. What seemed monstrous was actually a strange example of nature’s design.

Still, the discovery left her uneasy. Many online shared her sense of horror at the mushroom’s alien appearance. Now, she keeps her distance from that corner of the garden, allowing the devil’s fingers to grow undisturbed—a reminder that nature’s beauty sometimes wears unsettling disguises.