The hard (very hard) rubber consistency seems to be in the S. laeve/cepa group. S. bovista is usually softer, and the peridium (outer shell) usually thin and sometimes a little shiny, like Bovista pila. What we really need is another obs. if possible: one that includes that easily broken off underground (hypogeous) pseudorhiza.

Another helpful piece of information would be the soil conditions at the site. I haven’t been to Vancouver, so can’t tell whether the soil is full of cobbles, like Seattle; or sandy, like Oceanside.

Yes, microscopy helps (a lot) too. Obs. including nearby trees helps too, as Scleroderma always mycorrhizal. Photos seem to indicate location of obs. in lawn?

when you squeeze it is like a very firm rubber ball. S. citrinum was my first instinct but you’re right, I’m used to them having warts like the ones back east. S. bovista looks like a possibility. Looks like microscopy is needed for a definitive ID. Another thing I noticed was that they snapped off of a hard base embedded in the ground.

When the gleba is sliced, what is the texture like? Soft like cheese? Hard like a superball?

show the hard raised warts that I would expect with S. citrinum. Here in PA, I have recently been seeing some Sclerodermas with smooth outer surface that appears to break apart into very thin scales. A couple of names have been proposed.

http://mushroomobserver.org/98239?q=Mjgg