Fungus, a 'puff ball'. I see these a lot around my oak leaves. The 'smoke' are the spores. The 'shell' can get crisp when dry and they seem to break like a very thin egg shell.

That's exactly what they are. Had it not been for the smoking spore thing, I would have thought they were gecko eggs, with which they share a striking resemblence.

Are these beneficial? Harmful? They are actually quite beautiful...can they be cultivated?

Here in Lagrange, IL the giant puffball is a true delicacy when picked at the most opportune time. We can't wait to see these things grow to basketball size just about overnight in the perfect conditions. When perfect, the inside is most pure white (with no critter holes) and has a wonder bread consistency. We slice it like bread, peel the outer skin, dip it in egg wash, and coat with bread crumbs, salt & pepper. Fry in olive oil....yum!!!

I like these puffballs, but I cant help wondering whether inhaling those spores could do harm.

MannyE and GreenLarry,

All puff balls are edible in their early growth. Nearly every time I see a little white fresh puff ball I just eat them right then. Sometimes I peel off the outer skin, sometimes I don't.

GreenLarry, I went to the "ask Jeeves" web site and asked if the spores are harmful. Here is the answer, "The spores prove very irritating to the nose and eyes if blown into the face when dry and powdery." My personal interpretation is that the spores are harmless when you step on the puff balls. Lots of powdery substances would prove to be irritating if blown into the nose and eyes. Probably especially so if the person has allergies.

I am including the website where I got my info. (The web site is on http://botanical.com/ On their home page, find their search window and type in puff ball.) Or go to this very, very, long URL, and 3/4 of the way through the article you will find info about puff balls.

http://web.ask.com/redir?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftm.wc.ask.com%2Fr%3Ft%3Dan%26s%3Da%26sv%3Dza5cb0dc2%26uid%3D0A86A77322605C924%26sid%3D1E8DE77322605C924%26o%3D0%26qid%3D6B44B7C25AA44643B127B17B430838FA%26io%3D0%26ask%3DAre%2Bpuff%2Bball%2Bspores%2Bharmful%253f%26uip%3D45b2189b%26en%3Dte%26eo%3D-100%26pt%3Dbotanical.com%2520-%2520A%2520Modern%2520Herbal%2520%257C%2520Fungi%2520-%2520Herb%2520Profile%2520and%26ac%3D24%26qs%3D0%26pg%3D1%26ep%3D1%26te_par%3D235%26te_id%3D%26u%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.botanical.com%252fbotanical%252fmgmh%252ff%252ffungi-37.html&bpg=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.ask.com%2Fweb%3Fq%3DAre%2Bpuff%2Bball%2Bspores%2Bharmful%253f%26o%3D0%26page%3D1&q=Are%20puff%20ball%20spores%20harmful?&s=a&bu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.botanical.com%2fbotanical%2fmgmh%2ff%2ffungi-37.html&qte=0amp;o=0amp;abs=...free%20plants%20are%20not%20harmful.%20...%20when%20ripe%20discharge%20their%20dust-like%20spores%20from%20openings%20in%20the%20top%20of%20the%20peridium.%20In%20the%20GIANT%20PUFF-BALL%20(L...&tit=botanical.com%20-%20A%20Modern%20Herbal%20%7C%20Fungi%20-%20Herb%20Profile%20and&bin=&cat=wb&purl=http%3A%2F%2Ftm.wc.ask.com%2Fi%2Fb.html%3Ft%3Dan%26s%3Da%26uid%3D0A86A77322605C924%26sid%3D1E8DE77322605C924%26qid%3D6B44B7C25AA44643B127B17B430838FA%26io%3D%26sv%3Dza5cb0dc2%26o%3D0%26ask%3DAre%2Bpuff%2Bball%2Bspores%2Bharmful%253f%26uip%3D45b2189b%26en%3Dbm%26eo%3D-100%26pt%3D%26ac%3D24%26qs%3D0%26pg%3D1%26u%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fmyjeeves.ask.com%2Faction%2Fsnip&Complete=1

Or, here:

http://snipurl.com/index.php

snipurl.com is a great site that will shorten any long url for free. ;)

Ha! I was always warned to stay away from them, that they were dangerous. So much spoiled childhood fun for a 'shroom that now I find out people eat with bread crumbs. Not fair!