We spotted this stinkhorn mushroom covered with plenty of flat footed flies on the North Trail at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia. The stinkhorn mushroom is kind of nasty looking, white with a brown/green slime.
I believe these are earthball mushrooms we saw on our Strickler Knob hike. I’m interested in getting a mushroom identification field guide. Please let me know in the comments if you recommend a book.