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puffballs and stinkhorns
03
Stinkhorn fungi start life as a small fungus egg* Nestled in the dirt
When mature, they produce a slimy Gleba which contains their reproductive spores
The gleba stinks of decaying flesh, or dung- this brings the flies
As flies crawl over the fungi the spore-containing gleba adheres to their little feet
The spores are thus propagated as the flies depart
If you ever catch a whiff of stench in the forest
Follow your nose
You may find a beautiful fungus
Puffball fungi rely on raindrops for their spore dispersal
As the raindrops hit the puffball body the spores are puffed out of the puffball's orifice
And carried afar on the wind
*delicious pickled (witches eggs)
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