Friday, October 24, 2008

PuffBall

I don't know what happened to this monster spore maker. About a month ago it grew just down the road from Dad's house. We were on our way to church when I spotted it. I backed the car up to take a second look at what I first thought was a lost soccerball. "Dad, look at the size of that thing."

I later came back to take a photo. From this picture you can't fully appreciate the size of this mushroom. Actually, larger than a soccerball.

I haven't seen one this large since I was a kid. They were all over Grey's backyard. When Mike mowed the yard he'd go around them until they died. Then he'd run over the mushrooms sending thick clouds of spores into the sky. No wonder the yard was full of them.

Makes me cough just thinking about it.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always found them creepy. Dr. Ora Phelps did demystify them for us, somewhat. I have a mental image of her with a sharp knife in hand, standing in the old house dining room (?) and showing us the beautiful interior. I somehow think she ate those things. But I could be making that up! I think you might have been there for this. Do you recall? Now I see a picture of a puffbull and can only think, how magnificent. We have some around here in AK but smaller. Still, I like to find them. Thanks for the shot. You always know how to get me thinking.

Valerie Perez said...

good deal.

I'm sure if they were edible Dr. Phelps would never have told us. Can you see the girls foraging through the yard, collecting wild mushrooms, onions and carrots and then making some sort of "lost boys" stew? If we didn't kill ourselves, our mothers would have died if they knew what we were up to.

Dr. Phelps was one wise women.

Anonymous said...

mom told me they are edible, but you want to get them in this nice white solid stage. you can dice them and saute in butter. but ive never liked mushrooms.

Valerie Perez said...

Well, this one would have feed an army.

I love mushrooms. But I like living too, so I'll stick to the store bought ones and take photos of the ones in the wild. At least if I get a poisonous one from the store, my family can sue somebody. If I go to the woods, there is no recourse and everyone will say I was as stupid as they thought.