Earthball . Earthstar . Puffball

Earthballs, Earthstars and puffballs (fungi)

I discovered earthballs and earthstars near deer lichen in Walton County in 2008 and continue stalking them. Plain puffballs appear in the same locations, so are included with the special earth-type puffballs. At first these fungi were just friends of my main interest, deer lichen. In 2010, I'm determined to see the life cycle of these fungi including arising from the ground, growing, opening, and disintegrating.

In my understanding, earthballs are rounded mushrooms where the top opens (sometimes with star-like petals), revealing spores to spread. Earthstars are similar, but a puffball pouch contains the spores within. Tentative family identifications sclerodermatceae and geastraceae. In late October I learned that the visible part of a mushroom is the fruit; it is the reproductive part. The main body is underground. Here is a list of local fungi in my study with matches at eol.com (Encyclopedia of Life). Puffballs are for fun. The following list of pages is in reverse chronological order: latest first.

• Near outback 2012 - earthballs return to same location as 2011
• Near mailboxes - white spiny puffball, May, 2012
• Near outback - earthballs of the earth-speaking, flower-like kind, December, 2011
• Puffball Watch, 2010-2011 - table of chronological list of links to sightings (not listed here)
• Earth Flowers Underground - sensing, learning, and understanding
• Deer Lake W by NE on Hwy 30A - 2010 - closest to deer lichen
• Earthballs arise - tracking progress, 2010
• Earthling meet earthballs - video 2010
• Earthstars and lichen - 2010
• Dream - 2010
• Round earthball - 2010
• Deer Lake W by NE on Hwy 30A - early 2010 - earthballs, earthstars, and puffballs with lichen
• Lookout for 2010 - Mindfield 2012 - a vision
• Earthballs - funky fungi for the winter holidays, 2009
• Earthball - fungus by the road south of 30-A, south of Pt. Washington State Park, 2009
• Earthball - fungus - by the road near Deer Lake State Park parking lot, 2009
• Camp Helen State Park - earthstar - 2008

But what's underground? Need to learn more about mycelium and mycelia.

See Walton County or Florida travel page.