Having a ball this weekend? Here’s another ball to occupy your time: the giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea)! Not your... by @amnh

Published by @amnh on Mar 21, 2026.

Media gallery

A photo of a human hand touching a giant puffball. The mushroom is huge, round, and white, and resembles a lump of mozzarella cheese.

Post summary

This post stands out with 1 linked topics, 1 media item(s), and 6 highlighted comments. It sits inside @amnh's page, with 8 related posts to open next and 1136 engagement points. Primary linked tags: #didyouknow.

Caption

Having a ball this weekend? Here’s another ball to occupy your time: the giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea)! Not your typical mushroom, this round off-white fungus ranges in size from a softball to a beach ball. Since it doesn't have a stem, it "sits" on lawns and meadows, absorbing nutrients from the soil. A mature giant puffball contains trillions of tiny spores that emerge as a puff of "smoke" if the mushroom is tapped or kicked. Photo: sandiphillips, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist #nature #biodiversity #didyouknow #amazingnature

Top comments

@elisei.kh 1 likes Mar 21, 2026

D E L I C I O U S

@ighawkfarm 0 likes Mar 28, 2026

Yes!! And always cut open the small ones to make sure there's no stem growing in there or it can be the deadly young destroying angel. The big ones obviously are just puffballs! 😍

@rodrigoncal1984 0 likes Mar 21, 2026

Tecnologia mto top! * mto=muito