I don't usually use images in Google Image Search to understand what I've photographed, because I'd say I know a bit about nature. At first, I thought it was insect material. It never occurred to me that it was a fungus. But that's exactly why Google is so great. It put me on the right track. That's a potato puffball.
I was recently out in my favorite woods again, searching for new subjects and looking for the tiny, intricate little wonders in the great outdoors. My eyes landed on a small, dull structure on the forest floor, surrounded by blades of grass and some dried leaves. My first thought? It was something an insect had left behind - a cocoon or possibly some old nest material. It was the rough, uneven surface and the spherical shape shape that made me stop. I took some photos with my camera from many angles so I could look at them later and examine the cool details up close.
When I got home, I moved the photos to my computer and enlarged the details again. The texture interested me a lot. It looked almost like a small potato that had shriveled and was just growing up through (or out of) the ground. I was curious about what I had found, so I thought I would run one of my images through a Google search. When I looked at the results it was obvious that it was a fungus. More specifically, I had found a type of potato puffball in the Scleroderma genus.
I had a little ah-ha moment in this discovery. Sometimes the things we come across in nature are far different than we may think at first sight. This is just another instance of how it is important to pay attention and do a little research.
Potato puffballs are not unusual in our forests, and their modest appearance makes them easy to miss. Also, they are edible to slightly poisonous, so not great for dinner! This is important information that I want to pass along to you. However, their role in the ecosystem is interesting, as they join trees in mycorrhizal relationships as a symbiotic relationship with roots.
This little find, to me, is another example of how nature is always a little quirky and it's worthwhile to go through the world with your eyes peeled. Every hike is a little adventure with new opportunities to stumble on special shots to capture. I hope you liked this little story and my pictures of the potato puffball.
Have a wonderful Weekend!🙃✌️
