If you are the kind of human who enjoys pushing on bruises, eating hot sauce competitively or getting tattooed for eight hours in one sitting, you might be thrilled to hear there’s something new and painful for you to do at the California Academy of Sciences.
The San Francisco institution announced Thursday morning that its resident corpse flower is about to bloom. Meaning it’s about to smell like a whole bunch of dead stuff up in the Osher Rainforest.
The stanky plant in question is named Mirage (cute!) and is about five years old. That, apparently, is how long it takes to smell putrid in an awe-inspiring way. Unlike a human child of a similar age, Mirage is currently standing at about five feet four inches tall and is expected to have a growth spurt during its stinkiest period. Just like human teenagers.

Mark your calendars now because Mirage is expected to unfurl its rancid odor on masochistic nostrils at some point between Feb. 25 and 29. It will only stand in its full, majestic, foul-smelling glory for one to three days.
The last time a corpse flower did something fetid-smelling in San Francisco it was at Golden Gate Park’s Conservatory of Flowers in July 2023. When that one (named Scarlet!) detonated, the president of the San Diego Botanic Garden painted a delightful picture of the stench in a conversation with NPR.