Lycoperdon perlatum, the common puffball, is a widespread species of fungus in the family Agaricaceae. It forms an off-white medium-sized puffball tapering to a wide stalk, 1.5 to 6 cm (0.6 to 2.4 in) wide by 3 to 10 cm (1.2 to 3.9 in) tall. Its top is covered in short spiny bumps that are easily rubbed off to leave a net-like pattern on the surface. When mature it becomes brown, and a hole in the top opens to release spores in a burst when the body is compressed by touch or falling raindrops. It is edible when the young internal flesh is completely white, but can be mistaken for an immature fruit body of several poisonous Amanita species. L. perlatum can usually be distinguished from similar puffballs by differences in surface texture. Its chemical compounds include the unusual amino acid lycoperdic acid and volatile sterol derivatives that give the puffball its flavor and odor. Laboratory tests indicate that extracts of the puffball have antimicrobial and antifungal activities.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycoperdon_perlatum

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1533:

Anne Boleyn, already pregnant with future queen Elizabeth, secretly married Henry VIII of England, the second of his six marriages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Boleyn

1890:

American journalist Nellie Bly completed a circumnavigation of the globe, inspired by Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days, in a then-record 72 days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly

1971:

Idi Amin seized power in a military coup d'état from President Milton Obote, beginning eight years of military rule in Uganda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idi_Amin

1993:

Five people were shot outside the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia, resulting in two deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_shootings_at_CIA_Headquarters

2004:

Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity (artist's impression pictured) landed on Mars and rolled into Eagle crater, a small crater on the Meridiani Planum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_(rover)

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

haggis: A traditional Scottish dish made from minced sheep offal with oatmeal and spices, etc., originally boiled in the stomach of a sheep but now often in an artificial casing, and usually served with neeps and tatties (mashed swede and potatoes) and accompanied with whisky. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/haggis

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

It is notorious that illusions are shattered by conflict with reality, so no real happiness, no real wit, no real profundity are tolerated where the illusion prevails.   --Orlando: A Biography https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Orlando:_A_Biography