Four young wolf farts

Four young common puffballs Lycoperdon perlatum. 

The specific epithet perlatum, which simply means 'widespread'  because it is one of the commonest of fungi, particularly in woodland habitats. 

The genus name is derived from the Greek lycos meaning wolf and perdon meaning to break wind, literally a wolf fart.

When mature they are full of tiny spores which are eventually released into the air and dispersed by the wind to form new colonies. The clouds of spores escaping from the puffball are the basis of the name wolf fart.

Extra. On a quite different topic, I recently blipped a photograph of Mrs T's uncle Gilbert who was killed in a bombing raid in 1940. I have just scanned and colourised another photograph of him with his mother and father in 1906.

And here is a photograph of Mr Norrie who took the photograph of Gilbert and family!