Fall always brings mushrooms here and there in the garden. Sometimes just a stem or two and sometimes big clumps.
I love the way these appear to be looking back at the photographer.
I don't remember "puffballs" in the garden in past years. When I first saw it, I almost kicked it thinking it was a rock.
A few days later I delicately brushed the dirt off of it. A couple of days after that I brought a ruler out to measure how big it was getting.
When we came home from Milwaukee, it was bigger still but it had split open. It looks like it did that on its own as the cracks are very smooth and don't have any evidence of critter damage. Wish I'd had a chance to see it one more time before this happened.
Ah, those giant puffballs that you have out there. Yes, they tend to crack open the bigger they get. Soon, it will start drying out, darkening up, and releasing spores. We cooked one up once, on one of the mushroom forays I used to go on at UW-Madison. It wasn't very good. Morels and chanterelles are much, much better.
Posted by: Jerry | Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 09:42 AM
JERRY — This is the first time I think I've seen a puffball in the garden. Really enjoying it so thanks for the info about it.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 10:01 AM
I love mushrooms, too. They're just so woodsy and I like the way they smell, and they make me think of fairies, and little teeny-tiny houses, and comforting children's stories. I make no apologies for this nonsense -- id est quod id est.
Posted by: Elizabeth | Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 09:27 PM
That's quite a big puffball! Fascinating to see how fast they grow, isn't it? We had a good rain all day yesterday and on my morning walk today it was fun to see all the mushrooms that had popped up overnight.
Posted by: Old Lady Gardener | Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 11:57 AM
I didn't use to give much thought to mushrooms in my early gardening days, but as time went on and as I learn about the most amazing mycelium network underground, I began to cherish them.
Many different types show up here and there, they even grow out of logs that I left around the garden. I love seeing them everywhere.
Posted by: Chavli | Monday, October 23, 2023 at 04:24 PM