Puffball – Wolf Fart
Q: I’m not sure what these white “eggs” are in my yard. They are out in the open, not clutched together. I don’t know if they are an animal egg or some type of fungus. Can you help me identify them?
A: They are puffballs that have a crazy common name:! The scientific name, Lycoperdon pyriforme, means in Greek “wolf fart pear-shaped puffball” (lyco = wolf, perdon = to break wind, pyriforme = pear-shaped).
These fungi, like all mushrooms, are the fruiting part of a fungus that is decomposing organic matter underneath them.
They are not poisonous.
Gently squeeze one and observe the puff of spores propelled out the top.
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