Clathrus archeri: "hatching"
The "egg" looks like a puff ball in the soil or a chip garden. In this case two young eggs are growing under oak trees in Murvale Reserve. Some people claim the eggs are edible - but you would have to be desperate. They already have the bad smell, when cut open, that is characteristic of adult stinkhorns. Seemingly cooking removes the smell, but I will never have the pleasure of confirming this.
The middle, third egg is "hatching".
The "egg shell" forms a cap over the arms of the emerging fungus, but that is not a consistent way to hatch. The eggs can split open in various fashions. The energy for rapid growth comes from quick absorption of water and so will not happen before the rains come.
