Jeff Patterson with mushrooms he grew in the wild. Photo:courtesy of Jeff Patterson
Don’t underestimate magic mushrooms: These extraordinarily hallucinogenic fungi pop up almost everywhere around the world, spreading through the soil through a mysterious mycelium network that connects the entire fungal kingdom.What happens above ground is a different story. Shroom spores and spawn get around thanks to natural processes like the wind, animals, and these days, guerilla gardeners who are discreetly trying to seed as many harvests as possible. Advertisem*nt
There is, of course, a high chance that the vast majority of spores spread in this cowboy fashion will not spawn shrooms. But Patterson –who has been dubbed the “Johnny Appleseed” of magic mushrooms, after the pioneering nurseryman who planted thousands of apple trees – is gambling on depositing millions, if not billions, of spores in an afternoon.He, like other guerrilla mycologists, is playing a percentage game. Even if only one percent take root, that’s a whole lot of shrooms. “I grew up picking, and it was freaking amazing,” he reflects. “And I would love for the future generations to be able to experience that as well.”Patterson isn’t shy about his activities, even though Washington lawmakers are still deliberating over a bill to legalise psilocybin. “A few of us have been stopped by police or other people who are curious about why we are digging in the wood chips,” he says. “Whenever we've been approached, we just say things about mushrooms that most people get bored with and they leave you alone. Cops often say you may be trespassing, you should go now.”As psychedelics become increasingly popular, Patterson believes spore spreading will counter any reckless picking by newbies in the wild. He’s not the only one – a growing legion of amateur mycologists are taking matters into their own hands to ensure that there is no serious depletion of shroom stock, as is already the case with the cactus peyote.
Mushrooms harvested by Patterson. Photo: courtesy of Jeff Patterson
“I feel a kinship with the fungus itself: I'm acting under the direction of the fungus,” says Steve, a retired chemist and a pioneer of the spore spreading movement. (He did not wish to use his real name.) He and his comrades are stepping up their activities in fear of a big business carve-up of the magic mushroom market. Advertisem*nt
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A recent short documentary film, Azurescens: Through the Blue Lens, spoke to a key organiser of one major community of guerrilla spore spreaders in the Pacific northwest. “We get together with as much spawn as we can and we take it to places we think the spawn will thrive,” he says, a mask covering his face due to fears of arrest.They plant the spores, mark the location and come back within a year or two to check on it. At one undisclosed place, he claims his group recently “inoculated the area with a little over 50 gallons of spawns”. Advertisem*nt Advertisem*nt
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It’s not just the magic variety of mushrooms that benefit humans. Many mycology enthusiasts are, like McCoy, spreading all sorts. “Get everybody eating gourmet mushrooms,” says Nick Phillips, after leading a recent Psychedelic Society guerrilla event in London where the spawns of non-psychoactive mushrooms were distributed in a park. “They strengthen people’s immune systems.”He believes that increased wild production of sober varieties such as shiitake and lion's mane would lead to reduced prices in stores and that increased public consumption would significantly improve public health. Scientists have found that eating a whole host of mushroom varieties may provide protection against cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease due to their high levels of antioxidants. “This should be a thing of national interest,” Phillips says.But spore spreading skills are undeniably transferable. Some left the workshop professing that they may begin using the knowledge to pollinate green spaces with the magic variety. “My mission is to enable other people to get easy access to magic mushrooms,” one attendee says. “It's really important that people are able to get connected, back in touch with nature, and then start to make change.”Back in Washington, Patterson is gearing up for another outing with spores from one of his favourite strains. “It’s such a virulent species, it’ll eat every wood chip you can imagine,” he says. “It will grow from a single hand of spawn to a 10-foot patch in six months. Communities are dedicated to making sure mushrooms are here for future generations.”
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