A Kings Langley resident was delighted after discovering an unusual fungus on one of her regular walking routes through the village.
Chancelle Maxey was walking through a field near the back of Rucklers Lane when she stumbled upon the devil’s finger fungus, known scientifically as clathrus archeri.
The red fungus can grow up to three to four tentacles and can reach up to seven centimetres.
Chancelle said she was blown away to discover the fungus growing in a field so close to where she lives.
She said: “I knew about them but I had never seen them. I just think it’s amazing; they are really rare to see and to have them on your back doorstep was amazing.
“Because I have an interest in mushrooms, I did know what they were. They’re pretty ugly but pretty cool.”
Chancelle added that there were quite a few growing in the field before the snow fell last month.
She said: “When I first saw them, I had seen three or four and there were loads of white pods which the fingers appear from.
“When they first emerge, the fingers are gelled together and it looks like dead fingers through the ground and then they split. It’s pretty cool.”
Chancelle said although the fungus is harmless, it can be very smelly.
Photo credit: Chancelle Maxey
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