Giant Orb

Today my husband was walking through our timber and came to get me to show me our collection of Giant Orb's Mother Nature had left us.  We picked one for my son to take to Biology class tomorrow.  

It is a type of fungi that grows in rare circumstances with just the right climate.  This year of extreme drought, followed by unbelievable heat and then 5 inches of rain, must be the right circumstances.  

They are edible, but I don't believe we will be eating this one.  

Per Tom Volk a scientist from the University of Wisconsin, "It is a giant puffball, Calvatia gigantea, known (as you might guess from the specific epithet) for its large size. Plus when you find an immature specimen that is pure white inside you've found a delicious edible mushroom! It can grow to be quite large."