And now for something completely different...

[altivo]

Time for a break from depressing news.

Aliens invade!

	Creeping out of the blackberry bushes These peculiar looking aliens can appear overnight and are very clever at pretending to be rocks or ostrich eggs while an observer is near
	Dormant specimen with ruler The green plastic rule is one foot (30 cm.) long, to show the size of this threatening menace, Calvatia gigantea, the common puffball.
	What's this? There are more? The adult specimen was not alone. At least four youngsters were found skulking in the pasture. Two are shown here.
	Closer view of the babies Old timers say once trapped, these can be washed, sliced, dipped in beer batter, and fried for a tasty treat. We didn't try it... yet...

Honest, folks, we didn't plant 'em. We never know when or where they will appear, but usually they show up in the autumn every second or third year.

Comments

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

Are you considering battering, and frying any? They are truly bizzare. And huge!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

We've tried that before. They are OK, but not that spectacular in my opinion. Not a lot different from the white cultivated mushrooms sold at the supermarket, actually. The large specimens (not all shown here) are probably beyond being very edible, but those fist-sized ones in the pasture are just about right. I wouldn't have thought we had enough rain, but, here they are. They grow very fast, as much as doubling in size overnight.

[fandt4.livejournal.com]

OMG! That one in the path looks like a big piece of popped corn!... >_>

[animist.livejournal.com]

That's one humongous fungus!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

That it is. Though I've seen claims that they can grow as large as three feet, this is perhaps the largest I've ever seen. We had one about this size in late September of 1998 and there's a photo of it around here somewhere.

I've been trying to avoid injuring this one just to see how big it will get before it collapses in a cloud of dust. At the moment, it's still firm and growing. It has a good location, though I think it's a bit dry. A large woodpile occupies the area just to the left, and there's a dead oak tree about 8 feet away, so undoubtedly there are dead roots underground there.

[murakozi.livejournal.com]

Now now, don't fear the pod..er...puffballs. As a matter of fact, you should put one next to your bed before you go to sleep at night.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I think not. ;P

However, if you want to give it a try, I'll be happy to mail one to you.

[murakozi.livejournal.com]

That's ok. I've already got my geriatric longhair cat taking up space on the bed at night. One puffball is enough for me.

[hgryphon.livejournal.com]

Okay.