So, last week, I had the pleasure of discovering something new in our environment. I was dropping something off at my significant other's home when I saw something odd in his landscaping. I saw something that resembled a squid or octopus, some kind of sea creature. It was bright orange, covered in gnats and flies and smelt like a mixture of dead fish or just something dead in general. I wondered who he had obviously made mad to the point that they would throw something so foul into his yard. I went to get him and we inspected this together. I looked through the remainder of his flower bed and found more bulbs. It must be weird fungus or mushrooms. It had drippy, oozy brown stuff coming from it. So, I was on a mission to identify it, and I did thanks to Google. They are called Stinkhorns which makes perfect sense as they are one of the stinkiest things I have encountered. While they do not carry disease to your plants, they are naturally unwanted due to their pungent smell. They are usually found in the tropics and grow on dead organic material. 

There is not a lot you can do to prevent or control them. The easiest way is to scoop them up with a shovel and throw them away if you don't enjoy the smell, which I assure you, you won't!