Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Pear-shaped Puffballs

A post for ABC Wednesday/Guest Heart Thursday
Scroll down to the second photo for the heart.

P is for Pear-shaped Puffballs
(Lycoperdon Pyriforme)

One of the several species of smaller Puffballs, is the Pear-shaped Puffball. Huge masses of hundreds of these puffballs can cover the length of well rotted hardwood logs. Individual fruiting bodies are 2-5cm tall, shaped like a pear, with the swollen end up. They are smooth with fine, mealy grains. As the spores ripen inside, a small hole develops on the top of the fruiting body. Raindrops that land on the puffball, tap the thin skin and force out a cloud of spores that will drift away in the wind.

Small Puffballs can be eaten safely, but it is important to identify them well. They should be cut open from top to bottom, to be sure there is no eveidence of a developing stem, cap or gills. The button stage of the deadly Destroying Angel mushroom resembles a Puffball.

The letter P was brought to you this week by ABC WEDNESDAY

This shot is for Clytie at Random Hearts! A heart in a puff.
See more Random Hearts @ Clytie's Blog RANDOM HEARTS
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25 comments:

  1. i don't think i'd chance eating any mushroom found in the wild. :)

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  2. Wonderful shots. I have never seen them before.

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  3. Nice photos! This is such a great ti,e of year to look for fungi!

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  4. Good pictures Karen.

    greetings, Joop

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  5. never could tell the diff between the edible and inedible kinds!

    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  6. Good pictures - that first one looks wild!

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  7. karen it took me forever to see the heart ! LOL .. I was looking for a BIG one and then I saw the wee heart .. duh ? day for me here?
    Joy : )
    I love seeing mushrooms in the woods .. never thinking of eating them .. just that they are so interesting !

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  8. I didn't know about these pretty ones!! we need rain around here, I love mushrooms.

    P is for...

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  9. Great series!! The berries yes; the mushrooms, no! I just wouldn't trust my Identification. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  10. I think I will just buy my mushrooms and enjoy looking at the ones I see in the woods.

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  11. Great shots of the puff balls and perfect for P day.

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  12. That is a lot of puffballs all in one place. Don't want to touch the poison ones.

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  13. awesome, i love this meme. i don't think i have one for this week!!

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  14. I remember as youngsters, my brother and I like to step on the Puffballs to watch the cloud of spores fly out.

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  15. I remember eating puffballs, sauteed in butter, and thought they were the most tasty. I realize now that I just love butter.

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  16. I usually buy my mushrooms from the stores, never pluck them wild since I'm not sure they are edible.

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  17. These puffball mushrooms remind me of ghostly grape clusters. Although perhaps safe to eat I think it would be much too risky … and they look so pretty clinging to that tree.

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  18. Wild non-Poisonous mushrooms are Pleasant to the Palate... so I'd like to try Pear-shaped Puffballs some day.

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  19. That's incredible, and thanks for information. It's very interesting to know!

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  20. That's incredible, and thanks for information. It's very interesting to know!

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  21. That's incredible, and thanks for information. It's very interesting to know!

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  22. I"ve never seen a cluster of puffballs. Thanks for the photo and info.

    I especially like the first photo—like a cluster of grapes.

    Linda
    ABC WEdnesday Team

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  23. Beautiful photos and fascinating post. They look really good.

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  24. I love taking pictures of mushrooms ... and I love that dear little heart! Thanks for linking it up - it's perfect!

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