Look What Grew In My Garden

Grant was outside early in the AM and noticed this fungi that had come up overnight amongst the leaf and twig litter on our five acres of bushland near the house.It had a helmet of double layered intricate lace like stuff and stunk!!.By lunch a zillion flies,some bees,green ants(see the photo and in the centre top of the fungi you can see the green bum of the ant plus to the left of the fungi) and other insects were all over it and as the sun went down it had gone again.What an amazing view it was.It was about ten centimeters in height and a good few centimeters across.I was in town when Grant saw it and took the above photo.When I got home all the lace stuff was already gone.I hope another one grows one day as I would like to get some more shots up closer of the lace parts.Our planet has some wondrous plants and animals on it that is for sure.
OH yeh...I asked on Stamphappy if anyone knew what this was and the lovely Anna Pang and Claire and Ruth Kelly have told me it's common names are Crinoline Stinkhorn Fungus or Bridal Veil Fungus...its from the Phallaceae family and species Phallus indusiatus(syn. dictyophora).You can read about it here at the James Cook Uni website...apparently all the flies etc are attracted to it and carry off the spores so it can grow elsewhere.The Dry is here and the rains have gone these last few days so I will be looking out for one next Wet season when the rains come again.Thanks ladies :o)