The Flipside of Agriculture
By Dar Kenna (Andrea Brashear)
October 26, 2023
THE FLIPSIDE OF AGRICULTURE
Witness agriculture growing outside an undisclosed healthcare facility in the Tri-Cities of Washington State. Most mushrooms are grown indoors in this region, but the edible volunteer reproduces by the black spores visible on this shrooom. Panaeolus olivaceus is a widely known, seldom identified, small silvery brown mushroom discovered in a hospital clinic’s center lawn. The mushroom contains the hallucinogen psilocybin. Or is it Panaeolus foeinsecil with darker gills and a slightly thicker stem?
As if some force is tending the light at the end of the tunnel, Stormy Cloud, a passerby, relates on the discovery “You got me trippin’ man.” Poisoning by one of these many mushroom varieties is possible even if it is psilocybin-containing. Eating mushrooms you find inside hospital zones will surely lead to a bad trip. On the topic, actor Steven Wright asked, “If God dropped acid would he see people?” Look, it is the main patient area inside the mobile medical unit, just eat it!
The toxicity of lawnmower mushrooms is most noticeable when frequently nibbled on by young children. The symptoms of mushroom poisoning are feeling sick, stomach cramps, vomiting, and watery or bloody diarrhea. Collect a specimen for identification to help the healthcare provider figure it out. There is no specific antidote for mushroom poisoning.
Guided by fate this lonely little fungus sprung up in time for National Mushroom Day on October 15. The dark-colored spores indicate a lifespan of almost three years if it were not for the lawnmower. Enjoy the fast-growing, fleeting, self-reproducing, wonder of our modern city agricultural moment where we discovered wild mushrooms and what that means to us.
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