Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Photos: Strange Red Mushrooms Sprout From Hurricane Irene
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 28, 2011
Modified Aug 28, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 4
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 28, 2011
Modified Aug 28, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Hurricane Irene brought hilarious tweets, slip 'n slides, raw sewage....and red mushrooms? Reader Luke Dohner sent us the above photos, and told us he found them this morning across the street from East 2nd Street near Avenue C, where he locks up his bike every day...and they weren't there before the storm! "There are about 100 in this little triangle park, about 8 inches tall, spongy body, and lots of flies. Bright red with a dick head-like shape. Looks like more are coming up today," he wrote us.
We think they may be related to the Phallaceae family of mushrooms, also known as "stinkhorn mushrooms"—they are known for their foul smelling sticky spore masses. As Dr. Casey Simon told the Huffington Post, hurricanes create the perfect climate conditions for mushrooms to grow...including "magic mushrooms," psilocybin (which are noted by their bluish-gray stems). In case you're thinking about going down there and eating them, naturopathic physician Dr. Suneil Jain warned that many mushrooms can be toxic, and shouldn't be consumed unless they've been examined by an expert.
Update: According to Sally Bondor, "my mushroom book calls them the Mutinus Caninus or "Dog Stinkhorn.'" Dog Stinkhorn, which are part of the Phallaceae Family, is generally considered not edible, although it is "probably edible" at the ‘egg’ stage.
Tagged
east village
hurricane
hurricane irene
manhattan
mushrooms
red mushrooms
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .