Page 26 • The HERALD • 30th October 2025 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v Call Richard on 07554 421544 or 023 8178 8299 PEST CONTROL All aspects of control and treatment undertaken including: Rodents, Insects, Moles, Wasps, Birds and Property Proofing Licensed waste removal of all types of waste Local Friendly Family Run Business • Fully Trained & Insured Your Local Professional Electrician • Complete Rewires • Periodic Inspection Reports • Fault Finding & Repair • New Consumer Units • New Circuits • Central Heating Wiring • Extra Sockets/Lights • PAT Testing • No Job Too Small • Part P Registered • Fast & Efficient Service • Free Estimates Telephone Gary on 07788 865081 forestelectrical@gmail.com SOLENT SKIP HIRE LTD FOR ALL YOUR COMMERCIAL AND DOMESTIC WASTE MINI ~ MIDI ~ MAXI SKIPS ALSO CUBIC YARD BAGS OWN BAG COLLECTION AVAILABLE 023 8066 0123 01590 619700 • 01962 588288 Email: office@solentskiphire.co.uk PVCu FASCIAS & GUTTERING CLEANING SERVICE Gutters checked for leaks and repaired Also new installations Driveway, Patio and Decking Cleaning and Restoration Service Very reliable and fully insured Good Rates and Professional Service Special Rates for OAP’s Call us now for a free quote Holbury 07884 112416 The next Herald is out on 20th November Devil’s Fingers In The New Forest: An AlienLooking Fungus With A Wartime Story by Marc Heighway Marc hosts monthly local history talks, visit: nfhwa.org/events As a keen forest walker and forager, I love this time of year. It’s when all the di erent types of fungi are on display in the New Forest, and there’s one I always look forward to seeing – the Octopus Stinkhorn, also known as Devil’s Fingers. But to be clear, I won’t touch it, and for good reason. It really does stink. And, truth be told, it shouldn’t even be in the New Forest. So, what’s the story? Octopus Stinkhorn, or Devil’s Fingers (Clathrus archeri), is a Southern Hemisphere fungus that originates from Australia and New Zealand. It begins life looking like an “egg” about the size and shape of a golf ball. You’ll nd the egg-shaped sac lying on the ground but tethered by a thick strand to the underground mycelium. e egg is gelatinous, o en with a pink tinge from the tentacles folded inside, and can sit like that for weeks, biding its time for the right weather. When it nally erupts, several red tentacles push out - among fungi, but an e ective one, and it has helped the species spread across selected parts of the New Forest. If you want to see it, now is prime time. Look along heath edges, around bracken, and in rough leaf litter, especially near the New Forest’s historic wartime sites. First, you’ll notice the golf-ball eggs; then, sometimes overnight, the red arms appear like a low-budget sci- prop. I’ve seen it on former air elds, including the former RAF Beaulieu. Near Bolton’s Bench is another great spot – the area here was used extensively during both the First and Second World Wars. So how did this strange fungus end up in Hampshire, and why does it tend to be found on New Forest military sites dating back to the major con icts of last century? ere’s a popular theory. During the First World War, the Balmer Lawn Hotel in Brockenhurst was a military hospital for New Zealand troops. It’s thought the spores could have at rst joined at the tips - then arching back into a star. ere are usually three or four arms, sometimes as many as seven or eight. e upper surface is pitted with a net-like pattern, and the whole structure stands around 5cm high with tentacles about 7cm long. ose arms are coated in an olive-coloured slime (the gleba). It honestly looks like something alien-like from a science ction movie. And yes, there’s also the unpleasant smell, o en compared to rotting esh. The odour isn’t an accident. Flies, beetles, and slugs are lured in by the nasty scent; the sticky slime clings to them and the spores hitch a ride. It’s an unusual strategy Devils fingers Continued on page 27
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