We usually think of mushrooms as popping up fast and disintegrating rapidly. Many puffballs come up and disperse spores in fall, then persist all winter under the snow. Once revealed in spring, they continue to release spores when stepped on by animals or impacted by rain drops. Wonderful strategy to ensure dispersal of millions of spores in fall, spring, and into the summer.

Puffballs formed in fall persist under snow and reappear in spring able to continue spore dispersal. Photo by Jesse Ritcey

With a boot squish, a cloud of spores blows into the air currents. Photo by Jesse Ritcey