I found this interesting fungus in my garden a moment ago right at the surface of the soil. I see lots of puffballs here so maybe it's just an early puffball. I keep hoping to find truffles . . . The alligator lizard is another recent discovery in the garden - can't resist showing him off. PS I think I can answer my own question. When I went back outside after posting the above, I found a cluster of other fungi that looked much the same and which I recognize as puffballs. When I broke one open, it looked the same in the middle as the one in my photo.
Adorable lizard Margot! Puffballs as a category have a number of different types. Yours appears to be a Scleroderma, re the thick rind. Thank you for including the habitat observation: Sclerodermas are often at the surface, as are certain species of truffle fungi. Other truffles are more characteristically below the surface.. You may be interested in a good truffle book describing the various truffle species, including their habitat specifics and whether edible or not: A Field Guide to North American Truffles by Trappe, Evans and Trappe. Also: BCTruffles cheers, -frog
