Puffball

fungi · explosion · spores · nature

Dusty explosion. When a puffball gets bumped or touched, it bursts open and releases a huge cloud of powder-like spores that float away on the wind to make new mushrooms.

Ball-shaped body. Unlike regular mushrooms with caps and stems, puffballs grow as round balls that sit on the ground, looking like little fuzzy or smooth spheres.

Built different. Puffballs belong to a fungal group called Basidiomycota, which makes them relatives of regular mushrooms and toadstools, even though they look completely different.

Multiple kinds exist. There are several types of puffballs with names like Calvatia, Calbovista, and Lycoperdon, and each one has its own special size and appearance.