Scary Fungi! Did you know that Fungi are not plants? They are unique and separate life forms and have their own kingdom. After three solid days of rain, this group of fungi popped up in the back garden in a shady area of soil. They are not growing on rotten wood or tree roots. I looked through literally hundreds of mushroom photos on the internet, and didn’t see anything like this. Images are in order of how I imagine they progressed. They seem to actually bloom!

First, a round, brown mushroom pops up, then the whole surface cracks open.

Looks like an alien from another planet! More mushrooms pop up alongside the first, and when the surface is cracked open enough a darker “bloom” pushes out, right.

This I am calling a “bloom.” The surface is now peeled back like petals, and in the center, a cup pushes out, and inside that is a layer of blue mold.

This one appears to be decomposing without a cup. The texture is very much like damp sand.

I assume this one got covered in mold from all the moisture in the air, before the surface cracked open. Taken by itself, it looks more like a truffle, but when I see the others, I don’t think so. Help me identify this if you can. And what should I do with it (with any fungi for that matter)? Thanks for your help! – Kaye

Update: This fungi was identified in December, 2012, by Michael Wood at MykoWeb.com as Pisolithus arhizus (aka P. tinctorius) commonly referred to as Dog Turd Fungus.