Puffball

Puffball (Calvatia species)

Overview

There is nothing more thrilling than finding a giant puffball mushroom. The fruiting body of the puffball can contain more than 7 trillion spores that are released and carried away by the wind. Puffballs are found in the central and eastern parts of the United States and in Canada.

Fruiting Time- late summer and early fall

Shape, Size and Color- Puffballs are round or pear shaped and range from golfball sized to the size of a watermelon with some weighing as much as10 pounds. Puffballs are white when young, turning tan to brown with age. Giant puffballs crack open to release their spores.

Habitat- Puffballs are found sitting directly on the ground or on dead wood. They are commonly found in meadows, under small stands of trees and in forest openings.
 

See this article for more on puffballs.

Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Yard and Garden, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on August 31, 2016. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.