Common Puff-ball. Cluster of Common Puff-balls Lycoperdon perlatum. The pear-shaped fruiting body of the fungus is seen covered with conical spines. At first these bodies are white, then become brown in colour. On ripening, olive-brown spores are released through a hole at the top, and these airborne spores settle and germinate. Lycoperdon perlatum grows in large numbers chiefly in beech woods, and is very common. It is edible. Photographed in Hocking County, Ohio, USA.