Mushrooms and puffballs are members of a large group of organisms devoid of chlorophyll called fungi.
Mushrooms occur anywhere from the desert to the alpine tundra.
When and where a mushroom or puffball will form is related both to its food source and the environmental conditions. Each species has its own set of optimum conditions. Mushrooms and toadstools are one and the same. Mushroom growing on decaying log. Mushrooms and puffballs are the fruiting bodies of particular fungi.