Clathrus ruber, the red cage fungus, is a species in the stinkhorn family. The pink, orange or red fruit bodies form interlaced branches in the shape of a round or oval hollow sphere. The fungus is saprobic, feeding off decaying woody plant material, and is usually found in leaf litter on garden soil, grassy places, or woodchip garden mulches. Primarily a European species, C. ruber has been introduced to northern Africa, Asia, Australia, and North and South America. The fruit body is initially white and egg-shaped, attached to the ground by mycelial cords. It has a delicate, leathery outer membrane enclosing the compressed lattice that surrounds a layer of olive-green spore-bearing slime called the gleba. As the egg ruptures and the fruit body expands, the gleba is carried upward on the inner surfaces of the spongy lattice, and the egg membrane remains as a volva at the base. The gleba smells like rotting meat, which attracts flies and other insects that carry off its spores. The fungus's edibility is unknown, but its odor would deter most from consuming it.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clathrus_ruber

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1169:

Norman mercenaries landed at Bannow Bay in Leinster, marking the beginning of the Norman invasion of Ireland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_invasion_of_Ireland

1776:

The secret society known as the Order of the Illuminati was founded by Adam Weishaupt and Adolph von Knigge in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati

1925:

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the world's largest trade union with 134 million members, was founded in Guangzhou, China. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-China_Federation_of_Trade_Unions

1947:

Italian separatist Salvatore Giuliano and his gang fired into a crowd of May Day marchers near Piana degli Albanesi, Sicily, killing 11 and wounding 33. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portella_della_Ginestra_massacre

2009:

Carol Ann Duffy was appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, the first woman, the first Scot, and the first openly bisexual person to hold the position, as well as the first laureate to be chosen in the 21st century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Ann_Duffy

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

ergonomics: 1. The science of the design of equipment, especially so as to reduce operator fatigue, discomfort and injury. 2. (economics, rare) Political economy. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ergonomics

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Everyone in my book accuses everyone else of being crazy. Frankly, I think the whole society is nuts — and the question is: What does a sane man do in an insane society?   --Joseph Heller https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Heller