Nature's Magic Trick Pops Up In Western Missouri

Puffball mushroom photo by Missouri Department of Conservation, which has granted Missourinet permission to use.

(Clinton, MO) — One of nature’s most unusual magic tricks has puffed up in west central Missouri. Purple-spored puffball mushrooms have popped up in Clinton, Missouri, outside the Department of Conservation’s local office. The MDC says the purple-spored puffballs start out solid white inside and out, and are edible at that stage. But as the mushroom ages, the inside turns yellow or brown and should be discarded. The outer skin dries and cracks, which allows clouds of purple spores to spread by the wind, or by gentle tapping, leading to more mushrooms.

The scientific name for the purple spored puffball: Calvatia cyathiformis. It is found in grassy areas, prairies,