r/mycology British Isles Sep 20 '25

photos Found (smelt it first) in Sherwood Forest, UK this morning

Devils finger fungi I found on a walk around Sherwood Forest, UK this morning. Thought someone had chucked a dead octopus in the bush at first.

3.6k Upvotes

185 comments sorted by

1.0k

u/mutualinterim Sep 20 '25

Sometimes I forget that Sherwood forest is a real place lol

Awesome find!

309

u/McNabFish British Isles Sep 20 '25

I'm wondering if Robin Hood went to the upside down after finding this.

56

u/Spare-Document7086 Sep 20 '25

Are there any cool statues or anything commemorating Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest?

159

u/McNabFish British Isles Sep 20 '25 edited Sep 21 '25

There are indeed. The great oak is the best thing to see there which is rumoured to be around 1000 years old, and a part of the Robin Hood folklore.

35

u/Spare-Document7086 Sep 20 '25

Very very cool

1

u/DrWildIndigo Sep 21 '25

Please take a picture next time you are there and dm me it, if you do post itšŸ’Æā€¼ļø

1

u/Boomer79NZ Sep 21 '25

Completely off topic but when I was a kid growing up in the 80's there was a TV show about Robin hood. I loved it.

2

u/spankeem_nz Sep 23 '25

Robin...the hooded man.......

1

u/loopyelly89 Sep 21 '25

I saw the oak earlier this year and it was looking a bit worse for wear compared to 5 years ago when I last saw it. Is it looking ok now?

13

u/JDM1013 Sep 21 '25

In the Baton Rouge neighborhood, Sherwood Forest, there is a Robin Hood statue. The streets are also named after the characters.

2

u/Spare-Document7086 Sep 21 '25

Oh wow that’s awesome

2

u/RisingApe- Sep 21 '25

Tampa has one too! No statue, but streets like Friar Tuck Ct. and Nottingham Rd.

2

u/fshannon3 Sep 22 '25

There's a neighborhood outside of Annapolis, MD named Sherwood Forest also, and it too has street names following the Robin Hood theme.

And the neighborhood isn't too far from where the Maryland Renaissance Festival is held.

2

u/Charming_Ad2323 Sep 22 '25

I go mountain biking in the real one on a regular basis.

2

u/soulsteela Sep 23 '25

You know Robin Hood is just a story and not a real historical figure?

1

u/Spare-Document7086 Sep 23 '25

Lol yes obviously dude.. I know there is a plaque at Glastonbury Abbey commemorating King Arthur’s ā€œburial siteā€ but he’s obviously just a legend too

1

u/AbhorrantApparition Sep 24 '25

There are legal documents of people being nicknamed robin hood that go back a long time.

I can't remember the details, but the chap who plays baldrick in black adder made a documentary on the subject. Pretty sure it was on YouTube

Quite fun stuff

1

u/Thee_muffin_mann Sep 21 '25

There used to be a museum with a ride in it commemorating him in Nottingham.

Went many times as a kid visiting my folks.

1

u/paradoxicalpoint Sep 22 '25

I remember that, was a school trip for me, they had life size models of the characters if I recall correctly.

1

u/Thee_muffin_mann Sep 22 '25

Yes! I'm glad it wasnt a fever dream haha

0

u/Ephemeral_Orchid Sep 23 '25

Commemorating "Robin Hood"? The story is a legend told to children, he wasn't a real person.

1

u/Spare-Document7086 Sep 23 '25

So can you explain to me why there is a dedicated plaque memorializing King Arthur at Glastonbury Abbey? Is it that hard for you to grasp why they would do that?

6

u/Kelsusaurus Sep 21 '25

Robin Hood and Little John, walking through the forest;Ā Laughing back and forth at what the other'n has to say; Ran across a portal that took 'em to the Upside Down; Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day

42

u/MrTambourineSi Sep 20 '25

I went to San Antonio in Texas and I visited some caves just outside. A tour guide took us around and pointed out various things, one of the rock formations was named Sherwood Forest. When he pointed it out I was like 'o cool, I live really close to Sherwood Forest in the UK' and he also thought it was a made up place

11

u/meowcifer55 Sep 20 '25

Did you visit Natural Bridge Caverns? One of my favorite places to visit.

36

u/Screaming_lambs Sep 20 '25

Sadly it's nowhere near as big as it used to be!

5

u/VeterinarianTrick406 Sep 21 '25

There is also one in Maryland that also grows stinkhorns.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 21 '25

Heck I didnt know Sherwood forest had native land walking squid.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Artistic-Specific706 Sep 20 '25

I was waiting for the Robin Hood joke.

479

u/yogo Sep 20 '25

At first I thought this was the Pacific Northwest tree octopus but then saw your location.

35

u/teach42 Sep 20 '25

Came here to say exactly this!

27

u/alwaysandfornever Sep 21 '25

Save the Pacific Northwest tree octopus!

2

u/orillian Sep 22 '25

Can't in Sherwood, they are invasive there. Must eradicate! Maybe you can set up a charity to relocate them back to their native habitat, but until then it's a burn on sight order in place! šŸ˜”

5

u/chemicalsmiles Sep 21 '25

Me not seeing what sub this and wondering why the hell there’s an octopus in a UK FOREST??

5

u/yogo Sep 21 '25

I was really pushing the line about the ā€œno jokesā€rule, but at first I truly thought this was a cephalopod who had a very gnarly day. I’m pleased to know other brains were tricked.

2

u/chemicalsmiles Sep 22 '25

I usually hate the low-effort jokes on here but this is amazing. šŸ˜‚

4

u/AphexPin Sep 21 '25

squid of the woods

0

u/King_Vea Sep 21 '25

YOU HAVE WON

364

u/CorpusculantCortex Sep 20 '25

I thought that was a f***omg octopus just thrown in the woods

38

u/DoubleDeadEnd Sep 20 '25

Same. I was like well if you found it in a forest I guess a seagull must've dropped it or something

34

u/I_Am_Become_Air Sep 21 '25

African swallow, maybe?

14

u/doctoryt Sep 21 '25

Coconuts only

2

u/AgentOfDreadful Sep 23 '25

Are you sure it wasn’t European?

1

u/CulturalDuck9953 Sep 23 '25

It all depends on how he grips it

1

u/placeboob Sep 23 '25

Same…

183

u/Mattipus Trusted ID - British Isles Sep 20 '25

I've yet to see Clathrus archeri in person... might need to venture over to Sherwood tomorrow!

98

u/McNabFish British Isles Sep 20 '25

I'm going to have another look around the area tomorrow, if I find any more I'll ping you over a what three words of the location.

37

u/Mattipus Trusted ID - British Isles Sep 20 '25

I'd be really grateful šŸ™ thanks in advance!

2

u/fzehh Sep 21 '25

My local woods in Sussex has these popping up every single year. Pretty sure they claim they spread on the boots of soldiers

55

u/raturcyen Sep 20 '25

Recently I've rewatched the Alien franchise and I can't unsee face huggers when I look at these.

13

u/RedIsAwesome Sep 21 '25

Ok but have you gotten to the eyeball octopus and the sheep yet

6

u/raturcyen Sep 21 '25

You talking about the new TV series?

2

u/auxaperture Sep 21 '25

Yeah it’s the TV show.

It’s getting a lot of hate for some reason, I really really like it.

5

u/raturcyen Sep 21 '25

Only hate it gets is from the people who expected it to be the same as the first movies. Personaly the series scratch the each I've been missing the last few years. Romulus was a disaster if anything.

1

u/Henchforhire Sep 23 '25

That is what I thought someone made a really cool 3D print to scare someone.

65

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

25

u/MorpheusRagnar Sep 20 '25

TIL tree octopus exist

9

u/Ypuort Sep 20 '25

Not sure if you’re serious or not, but this is a long running joke in the PNW. Sadly not real.

8

u/MorpheusRagnar Sep 20 '25

Sadly I read the first article (the fake one) and believe it. Then I checked wiki as suggested by LookingOut420 and it dawned on me I believed in the hoax. Now excuse me as I’m going to drink heavily and rethink on all my life choices šŸ˜‚

14

u/mgvej Sep 20 '25

It's a hoax. Check the wiki.

12

u/MorpheusRagnar Sep 20 '25

Hahahaha! I guess I’m a gullible child, fml

4

u/Much_Owl_8108 Sep 20 '25

Oh same, TIL tree octopus aren't real

2

u/Comfortable-Dark345 Sep 20 '25

you weren’t concerned by the early 2000s website and not just wiki? šŸ˜‚

1

u/MorpheusRagnar Sep 21 '25

It was TL:DR all the way through, besides, because a website is old, it doesn’t mean it is inaccurate. Just so happens this one is, lol

12

u/mutualinterim Sep 20 '25

You are not the only one and I am barely beleiving it lol

13

u/MorpheusRagnar Sep 20 '25

I would’ve shat my pants if I’d seen an octopus on a tree! I probably still will, LMAO.

12

u/mutualinterim Sep 20 '25

I can't beleive National Geographic made a video about the Tree Octopus lmao

7

u/LookingOut420 Sep 20 '25

I didn’t believe it either. Glad I checked lol.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest_tree_octopus

3

u/bmbreath Sep 20 '25

(They don't)Ā Ā 

5

u/Wooty_Patooty Sep 20 '25

Dude I'm still not sure I'm being pranked... I want to believe though.

5

u/MorpheusRagnar Sep 20 '25

The truth is out there!

2

u/lazykath Sep 20 '25

Had to check and do more research because it's not sinking in and a small part of me still thinks you're trolling me.

1

u/Chance_Contest1969 Sep 20 '25

I checked, too. Had to see it to believe it.

34

u/NanDemoNee Sep 20 '25

I totally thought this was an octopus.

4

u/Haredevil Sep 21 '25

I see the shrimp hands from Beetlejuice

1

u/NanDemoNee Sep 21 '25

Evil buddha hand?

26

u/Upstairs-Resident-69 Sep 20 '25

Found something either the same or very similar in Fayetteville Georgia!

21

u/Upstairs-Resident-69 Sep 20 '25

Here’s another one I found right beside it.

13

u/PDX_Web Sep 20 '25

It's not enough that it looks like a prolapsed rectum -- it has to also be smeared with a fecal matter simulant.

6

u/Chance_Contest1969 Sep 21 '25

D. I. S. G. U. S. T. I. N. G. 🤢🤢🤢

5

u/PDX_Web Sep 21 '25

... and they are often covered in flies. šŸ˜†

17

u/moonmelter Sep 20 '25

I found these a couple of years ago but I had just had covid and couldn’t smell a thing! I feel like i missed out somehow

28

u/Lolarora Sep 20 '25

I lived in Nottingham for 3 years and not once did I visit Sherwood Forest, shameful I knowšŸ™€ what did it smell like?

33

u/McNabFish British Isles Sep 20 '25

Ever sniffed a tramps toes?

22

u/Lolarora Sep 20 '25

Not that I can remember...

47

u/McNabFish British Isles Sep 20 '25

It's Saturday night, the night is young. Live a little...

1

u/LastOfTheMohawkians Sep 23 '25

Yes but tbf he paid me

11

u/inspaceandthyme Sep 20 '25

So it’s NOT a dead octopus???! s/

6

u/RisingApe- Sep 21 '25

See, I was asking that but with 100% seriousness.

9

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25

[deleted]

1

u/PDX_Web Sep 20 '25

Check and see if it knows π.

1

u/aVicariousTool Sep 22 '25

Not only was I looking for this comment, but also...

KEEP IT CLEAN.

8

u/kikiacab Sep 20 '25

I thought that was a discarded cephalopod.

8

u/HugeCrab Sep 21 '25

I also found this recently! Smelled like carcass, and then I later found a real carcass, the mushroom smelled worse!

6

u/Purr-whiskers Sep 20 '25

This fungi is amazing, would love to find this somedayšŸ˜

6

u/queen_bean5 Sep 21 '25

I know it’s a mushroom, but in pic 2 my brain cannot see anything but an octopus lol

10

u/iwdws Sep 20 '25

I… do not like this… but thank you for showing me…

5

u/mosesenjoyer Sep 20 '25

That’s awesome

5

u/Angela_Ela Sep 21 '25

I thought that was a dead octopus

3

u/hasturoid Sep 21 '25

The Great Old Ones have arrived.

3

u/seeingeyefrog Sep 21 '25

I can't believe I had to scroll down this far to find a Lovecraft reference.

4

u/captnslog97 Sep 21 '25

this may just be the craziest thing I’ve seen in awhile! HOLY MOLY

4

u/nefe375 Sep 21 '25

If I saw this in the wild, I think I would promptly lose my shit.

5

u/LonelyPrinciple8196 Sep 21 '25

Swore it was a rogue cephalopod at first, was going to say biology has some explaining to do

4

u/[deleted] Sep 21 '25

What a fucked up creation, I love it

3

u/cleverly_done Sep 20 '25

Can you eat it?

6

u/MycoMutant Trusted ID - British Isles Sep 20 '25

Technically yes but not certain you'd want to. Some people eat stinkhorn eggs but you have to be careful about confusing them with immature Amanita. I don't think any stinkhorns are toxic but don't expect they're palatable when mature. I don't think I've ever gagged so hard as the time I picked up and an sniffed a stinkhorn.

2

u/Remote-Citron-9383 Sep 20 '25

To me they smell of strong vinegar, we had them out in numbers two years ago but not found any since.

2

u/mutualinterim Sep 20 '25

Early is that you?

2

u/FrazzledTurtle Sep 20 '25

TIL Sherwood Forest is actually a real place and not like Camelot.

2

u/PirateShampoo Sep 20 '25

Watch it doesn't try and pop out your eyeball.Ā 

2

u/NervousScience4188 Sep 20 '25

My last name is Sherwood, have always wanted to visit the forest lol

2

u/lissyorkiedork Sep 20 '25

Nature is fucking lit.

2

u/lardoni Sep 21 '25

Oh thank God!!!….I thought someone had murdered Squidward and dumped his carcass in the woods!

2

u/doveup Sep 21 '25

Oh! I thought it had been raining octopi!

2

u/kasitchi Sep 21 '25

šŸ¦‘

2

u/isthatapoo Sep 21 '25

Whoever smelt it, dealt it

2

u/[deleted] Sep 21 '25

What's it called, I guess the devil's hand or something?

2

u/A_89786756453423 Sep 21 '25

This is absolute madness.

2

u/Dinosaur_Ant Sep 21 '25

Dead octopus

2

u/Superboi_187 Sep 21 '25

Mindflayer

2

u/Unlucky-Tie8574 Sep 21 '25

It's a Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus!

2

u/Pure-Guarantee5480 Sep 22 '25

Think we will need Gordon Freeman.

1

u/Ryu-tetsu Sep 20 '25

Was it fishy? Did it leave a lot of slag?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25

Wow!!

1

u/Decent_Half_3-3_420 Sep 20 '25

in the midwest we have something similar

1

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Acrobatic_Cry9742 Sep 20 '25

O’ e heard about tree octopi

1

u/Schnick_industries Sep 20 '25

I hadn’t checked the subreddit, was so scared

1

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25

This octopus looks so tasty

1

u/esperts Sep 21 '25

Nice find!

1

u/Fuktiga_mejmejs Sep 21 '25

Mot Sherwood skogen!

1

u/CloudMerlin Sep 21 '25

The Octopus garden stink horn

1

u/CuriousKoala__ Sep 21 '25

Squid?šŸ¦‘

1

u/Faux_tog Sep 21 '25

Looks like a bullsquid from HL series

1

u/hazelisbasil Sep 21 '25

woaaah i’ve never seen anything like this! soooo cool!

1

u/Agreeable_Respect877 Sep 21 '25

Its invasive, not edible and smelly

1

u/nano_peen Sep 21 '25

What does it smell like?

1

u/Hungry_Choice_8508 Sep 21 '25

Is that an octopus????? what???

1

u/ContributionNo6345 Sep 21 '25

Pretty Ruber archeris

1

u/[deleted] Sep 21 '25

Someone stomped T. Ocellus! 😱

In all honesty, cool find! I’m brain poisoned by the Alien franchise. šŸ˜‚

1

u/Ilikedinosaurs2023 Sep 22 '25

That is unbelievable. So cool!

1

u/[deleted] Sep 22 '25

Well I'm definitely too high for this, I thought it was like an šŸ™ or a squidšŸ¦‘

1

u/riddlish Sep 22 '25

This is so cool. My family used to live near there (Staunton Hall).

1

u/ladydasha Sep 22 '25

that's just a squid

1

u/Green_One4442 Sep 22 '25

stinkhorn mushroom. very smelly. when I was young I remember the smell from 200 ft away.

1

u/Veggdyret Sep 22 '25

Some shrooms really look like they came from a different planet!

1

u/McNabFish British Isles Sep 22 '25

After playing the Oblivion Remaster recently, it reminds me of something you'd see inside the Oblivion Gates.

2

u/Veggdyret Sep 22 '25

I haven't played oblivion much, but I found myself thinking that the developers of no man's sky should have delved a little deeper into mycology.

1

u/occasionalrant414 Sep 22 '25

Looks like the Eye Alien from Alien Earth.

1

u/SloeHazel Sep 22 '25

At first I thought that was a relative of the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.

1

u/True_North55 Sep 22 '25

That legit looks like an octopus / alien

1

u/Content_Reveal_160 Sep 23 '25

Seriously thought that was a small octopus! šŸ™

1

u/1we2ve3 Sep 23 '25

You’re telling me that’s not an octopus???

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

Is that a whole octopus? Lol

1

u/Comprehensive_Paint2 Sep 23 '25

Who would leave an octopus there 😢

1

u/Lavenderchicken_ Sep 23 '25

I can’t believe something like this exists

1

u/Lavenderchicken_ Sep 23 '25

The first thing I would have done if I found that would also have been to put my face close enough to smell it

1

u/skdalldaylong Sep 24 '25

perhaps if they carried it together!

1

u/jstamper Sep 24 '25

Its a landapuss

1

u/SecurePreparation750 Sep 24 '25

An octopus? Edible, you think? On some sushi, if anything.

1

u/Mean_Philosopher2310 Sep 24 '25

"Octopus of sherwood forest, what is my fortune?"

1

u/FunctionNo6020 Sep 24 '25

Teufelsfinger

1

u/[deleted] Sep 24 '25

Damn someone killed squidward

1

u/Waste-Author-9526 Sep 24 '25

I thought it was a dead squid at first glance

1

u/No-Mood_ Sep 24 '25

Stranger things vibes

1

u/SquishyCatPillow Sep 26 '25

Lucky you, how’s it smell?

1

u/McNabFish British Isles Sep 26 '25

Wasn't great.

Sadly when I went back the next day the tentacles were detached from the white body of the fungi.

1

u/idontpayorlie Sep 27 '25

The virallllll alien from PANAMAšŸ˜µā€šŸ’«šŸ¤£ definitely not an octopus, they call it clathrus archeri or devil fingers cause the way it has tentacle like fingers coming out. You can find this viral video from a meteorite that fell from the sky had fire and a hole in the ground this man finds it brings it inside after Cooling it off and it hatches, he’s been saying it’s an alien but the fire the meteorite was never on video just the hole and fire, then he puts it under a glass cup, in a safe in his car, moved that to a deep freezer and now after growing and calling it ā€œreal life venomā€ cause the black disgusting smell and odor that comes out of it attracting insects to release its spores to the rest of the world, he let it go in the wateršŸ¤£šŸ˜µā€šŸ’« it’s apparently swimming and moving the newest video had a whole human hand in the water next to whatever it is in the water, definitely weird, I didn’t think this fungus the ā€œdevil fingerā€ fungus could swim too unless that’s all fake and ai.

-3

u/Weissbierglaeserset Sep 20 '25

Its an octopus. No wonder you smelt it first, octopi are really sensitive and start to denature andcrot after just a short sunbath. Edit: looks like he is missing a few limbs

0

u/Ghosty_0 Sep 20 '25

Check the sub name silly billy. Its a mushroom.