Stump Puffball - Lycoperdon pyriforme
Round shape when young, but becoming pear-shaped when mature. Also, when mature, they develop a central hole through which spores are released by rain.
These fungi are called puffballs because "puffs" of brown spores are released through the aperture when the mature fruiting body bursts. Also, they look like "balls". Hence the name "puffballs".
Habitat: Growing on rotting wood in a mostly coniferous, wet forest.
''Lycoperdon pyriforme'', commonly known as the pear-shaped puffball or stump puffball, is a saprobic fungus present throughout much of the world. Emerging in autumn, this puffball is common and abundant on decaying logs of both deciduous and coniferous wood. It is considered a choice edible when still immature and the inner flesh is white.
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