The Common Earthball Mushroom
Scleroderma citrinum, also known as the Common Earthball, are a pale-brown to yellow-brown colour and are shaped similar to a potato. Their main habitat is on compacted paths in forests and are mainly found in mainland Europe and North America. Scleroderma citrinum is a poisonous species to animals and humans due to the exposure from its spores. The flesh inside a young earth ball is normally whitish and can sometimes be pink. When it begins to age its flesh turns into a purple-brown colour, then turns into black colour with what looks like small white veins running through it. The spores of a Scleroderma citrinum are spherical and spiky, and when they mature the spores will rupture creating a large opening which disperses the spores into the rain and wind.
