Strange "nest-like" thing in grass?

Question

In the middle of our lawn, we have these strange off-white blobs that kind of resemble cauliflower. They are hard on the outside, but if you poke a stick in them (or step on them, I found out), they are brown and gooey. We do not have a dog, and no neighbor dogs have visited, and they do not look or smell like dog droppings. I'm thinking that maybe it's a nest of some kind??? Insect?

Answer 1

I think what you have is a type of mushroom or fungus.  I don't know what they are called, but we used to call them "puff balls' when I was a kid because if you leave them, they dry up inside and when you step on them brown "dust" flies out.  They are the fruiting body of the fungus that grows underground.  Is it possible this is what you have?

Answer 2

The first lady has it right. They are a variety of mushroom called, you guessed it, Puffball.  As they dry more the brown "gooey" inside will become dry and powdery.  This is the mushroom spore and will spread in the air when the shell is broken.

Answer 3

To me, it sounds like some sort of fungus..mushrooms take on  all kinds of forms. If there are several of them running throughout your yard, then I would guess it's definitely that because fungus burrows underground. it's actually a ground virus and spreads underneath. Typically, if you see fungus, or a mushroom at one side of your yard, and another across the yard on the other side, it's the same virus/fungus.