Shrooms: Growing, Hunting, Psychedelics Legislation

Large morel mushroom next to table fork for scale

Growing

Seed St. Louis will be selling Mushroom Spores ‘Wine Cap’ at its March 11th Sale. $5 for one pound of mushroom spawn, enough for 10 square feet. Grow in full shade to part sun in wood chips/mulch or straw mulched areas of garden.

Here’s a nice Wine Cap Mushroom Growing Guide from Seed St. Louis

University of Missouri Extension’s: Growing Shiitake Mushrooms in an Agroforestry Practice

Hunting

Noon March 1st there’s a Zoom Class by Missouri Conservation Department: Mushrooms- Meet the Morels. Register

Missouri Conservation Department’s A Guide to Missouri’s Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms

March/April 2021 Missouri Life magazine article: Fascinating Fungi (includes various mushroom seasons)

Illinois Natural Resources Department’s Illinois Mushrooms poster

Illinois Mycological Association

Missouri Mycological Association

Psychedelic Therapy Legislation

Missouri Republican pushes to legalize ‘magic mushrooms’ to treat depression, PTSD – Missouri Independent, January 30, 2023

Illinois lawmaker introduces bill to create regulated psychedelic therapy program – WCIA, January 18, 2023

Can Psychedelics Solve the Youth Mental Health Crisis? Nearly two-thirds of young adults report having either depression or anxiety. In California, Connecticut, Illinois, and other states, lawmakers are considering their options for psychedelics legalization. – The Nation, February 3, 2023

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Nature, Gardening, Horticulture, Ecology: 2023 St. Louis Community College Continuing Education Classes, some online, some in person. Fees apply

Fun Valentine’s Day project for kids of all ages. Herb & Flower Lollipops (YouTube) via P. Allen Smith

Thru February 26 Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Tickets

Start boy choy and mustard greens indoors this week. Plan your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar

Blog post on Mushrooms: buying spores from Seed St. Louis, growing info, mushroom hunting in MO and IL, online class, psychedelics legislation, more

1 pm Tuesday Missouri Conservation Dept Online Class- Native Plants: Plant Romance. “All registrants for this event must be between 14 and 120 years of age by 2/14/2023.” Register

Noon Wednesday University of Missouri Extension’s Garden Hour on YouTube

4 pm Wednesday Grow Native Zoom Master Class: Practical Magic for Pondscapes. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native! professional m embers. $15 for non-members. Register

Hey, teachers & parents 6 pm Wednesday Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: School Garden Design. Start planning now for September-May 2023-2024 school gardens. Register

6 pm Thursday Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Dormant Fruit Tree Pruning. Register

6:30 pm Thursday Missouri Conservation Dept. Virtual Class: Birding in Winter. Register

6 pm Friday Missouri Conservation Dept. Virtual Class: Common Raptors of Missouri. Register

4:30 pm Saturday St. Louis Audubon Society Owl Prowl at Forest Park. Register

10 am Feb 23rd Missouri Conservation Dept. Virtual Class: Becoming a Bluebird Landlord. Register

6 pm Feb 23rd Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Who is Pollinating Your Food? Register

9:30 am Feb 24th Missouri Conservation Dept event at Victoria Glades Conservation Area, Hillsboro, Jefferson County: Winter Glade Hike @ Victoria Glades. Only 3 Tickets remaining. Register

Volunteers Wanted 9 am Feb 25th for Forest ReLeaf Pruning at Penrose Park. Register

10 am Feb 25th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Class: DIY Native Landscape Design. 12 Seats remaining. Register

4:30 pm Feb 25th St. Louis Audubon Society Owl Prowl at Forest Park. Register

10 am March 1st Bellefontaine in Bloom at Bellefontaine Cemetery. 2 Hour Walking Tour with Master Guide. Register

Noon March 1st Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Class: Mushrooms- Meet the Morels. Register

4 pm March 1st Missouri Prairie Foundation Zoom Class: Deciphering Botanical Latin. Register

3:30 pm March 3rd Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Class: Native Plants- Creating a Butterfly Garden. Register

10 am March 4th Missouri Conservation Dept event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Area: Family Invasive Species Day. Ages 12 and older. Register

2 pm March 8th St. Louis County Library Virtual Class: Homegrown National Park is Growing Here! Register

7:30 am to Noon March 10th Grow Native’s Native By Design: Community Conservation Conference at Lewis & Clark Community College, Edwardsville IL. Register

3:30 pm March 10th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Class: Planting an Edible Native Garden. Register

9 am to Noon March 11th Seed St. Louis Spring Sale @ Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Arrive early for best selection. Bring a box lid to carry your plants. Available at this Sale: Sweet Potato slips, Onion bulbs, Asparagus crowns, bare root Strawberries, Leek starts, Mushroom spawn, all with instructions

10 am March 11th Missouri Conservation Dept event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center: Native Plants- Tasty Tree-ts. Learn how to make Shagbark Hickory bark syrup. 8 Tickets remaining. Register

Noon March 14th Missouri Conservation Dept Virtual Class: Native Plants- Caring for Pollinators. Register

9 am March 25th Forest ReLeaf event. Volunteers wanted. Tree Planting at Ruth Porter Mall Spring Tree Planting, St. Vincent Greenway. Register

9 am to Noon April 1st Seed St. Louis Spring Plant Sale @ Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Arrive early for best selection. Bring a box lid to carry your plants. $4 seedling 6-packs. Available at this Sale: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Bok Choy, Collards, Dinosaur Kale, Lettuce

Native Plant Sales Return: 8 am to 4 pm April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 20, 27 Missouri Wildflower Nursery @ Kirkwood Farmer’s Market. Order in advance– by Tuesday prior to market day- or buy what they bring to Market

9 am to Noon May 13th Seed St. Louis Summer Plant Sale @ Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Arrive early for best selection. Bring a box lid to carry your plants. $4 seedling 6-packs. Available at this Sale: Basil, Eggplant, Sweet & Hot Peppers, Tomatoes, Mint, Lavender, Rhubarb, Sorrel, more

Join us Sundays on Spoutible or Twitter for #GardenSunday to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Thru February 26 Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Tickets

February Gardening Tips & Tasks, Pests & Problems from Missouri Botanical Garden. Now is the time to sow larkspur, sweet pea, snapdragon, Shirley poppy seeds!

Seed St. Louis Seed Starting Class on YouTube

Start cauliflower, chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, parsley seeds indoors this week. Plan your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar

Missouri and Illinois Endangered Species- Animals and Plants

6 pm Monday Missouri Department of Conservation Virtual Class: Invasive Species- Identify and Manage Exotic Invasive Plants. Learn how to identify and manage exotic invasive plants. 33 Tickets remaining. Register

Saturday is Eagle Days at Audubon Center at Riverlands, West Alton (Not Chain of Rocks Bridge). Register

11 am Feb 14th For Kids, 3-6 Year Olds. Missouri Conservation Dept program at Tower Grove Park, Stupp Center. Conservation Kids: You and Me under the Canopy- Making Tracks. Register

1 pm Feb 14th Missouri Conservation Dept Online Class- Native Plants: Plant Romance. “All registrants for this event must be between 14 and 120 years of age by 2/14/2023.” Register

4 pm Feb 15th Grow Native Zoom Master Class: Practical Magic for Pondscapes. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register

Hey, teachers & parents 6 pm February 15th Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: School Garden Design. Start planning now for September-May 2023-2024 school gardens. Register

6 pm Feb 16th Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Dormant Fruit Tree Pruning. Register

6:30 pm Feb 16th Missouri Conservation Dept. Virtual Class: Birding in Winter. Register

6 pm Feb 17th Missouri Conservation Dept. Virtual Class: Common Raptors of Missouri. Register

4:30 pm Feb 18th St. Louis Audubon Society Owl Prowl at Forest Park. Register

10 am Feb 23rd Missouri Conservation Dept. Virtual Class: Becoming a Bluebird Landlord. Register

6 pm Feb 23rd Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Who is Pollinating Your Food? Register

Volunteers Wanted 9 am Feb 25th for Forest ReLeaf Pruning at Penrose Park. Register

4:30 pm Feb 25th St. Louis Audubon Society Owl Prowl at Forest Park. Register

10 am March 1st Bellefontaine in Bloom at Bellefontaine Cemetery. 2 Hour Walking Tour with Master Guide. Register

7:30 am to Noon March 10th Grow Native’s Native By Design: Community Conservation Conference at Lewis & Clark Community College, Edwardsville IL. Register

Join us Sundays on Spoutible or Twitter for #GardenSunday to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.

This Week in Gardening & Nature

February Gardening Tips & Tasks, Pests & Problems from Missouri Botanical Garden. Now is the time to sow larkspur, sweet pea, snapdragon, Shirley poppy seeds!

February Garden To Do List from P. Allen Smith

Thru February 26 Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Tickets

Thru Sunday- Audubon Society Bows for Birds Challenge. Where: Missouri Botanical Garden, Forest Park, Lafayette Park, Bellerive Park, Powder Valley Conservation… Prizes include Tickets for Big Muddy Adventures, Alpine Shop, Cardinals Baseball…

Seed St. Louis Seed Starting Class on YouTube

Start cauliflower, chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, parsley seeds indoors this week. Plan your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar

4 pm Wednesday Grow Native! Webinar: Meaningful Design and Stewardship of Native Landscapes With Missouri Conservation Department Native Landscape Specialists. Register

6 pm Thursday Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Jump Starting the Growing Season. Register

10 am Saturday Missouri Conservation Dept Nature Hike: Ellis Island has Eagles and Swans and Geese, Oh My. Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, meet at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, East of Hwy 67, West Alton. 12 Tickets remaining. Register

6 pm Feb 6th Missouri Department of Conservation Virtual Class: Invasive Species- Identify and Manage Exotic Invasive Plants. Learn how to identify and manage exotic invasive plants. 33 Tickets remaining. Register

Register for 8 am to 3 pm Feb 11th Seed St. Louis Community Agriculture Conference, In Person and Virtual. $15 but scholarships available. Keynote Presentation: Soul Farmer, Tyrean “Heru” Lewis. Sessions: Growing Mushrooms at Home, Help Pollinators & Increase Your Harvest, Wild Edibles of Missouri, Growing Microgreens 101, Schoolyard Animal Husbandry, Free Plants in the Kitchen Garden, Lacto Ferment Your Garden Produce for Better Gut Health, What is Therapeutic Horticulture?, Land Trust Garden Update

Feb 11th Eagle Days at Audubon Center at Riverlands, West Alton (Not Chain of Rocks Bridge). Register

11 am Feb 14th For Kids, 3-6 Year Olds. Missouri Conservation Dept program at Tower Grove Park, Stupp Center. Conservation Kids: You and Me under the Canopy- Making Tracks. Register

1 pm Feb 14th Missouri Conservation Dept Online Class- Native Plants: Plant Romance. “All registrants for this event must be between 14 and 120 years of age by 2/14/2023.” Register

4 pm Feb 15th Grow Native Zoom Master Class: Practical Magic for Pondscapes. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register

Hey, teachers & parents 6 pm February 15th Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: School Garden Design. Start planning now for September-May 2023-2024 school gardens. Register

Volunteers Wanted 9 am Feb 25th for Forest ReLeaf Pruning at Penrose Park. Register

10 am March 1st Bellefontaine in Bloom at Bellefontaine Cemetery. 2 Hour Walking Tour with Master Guide. Register

7:30 am to Noon March 10th Grow Native’s Native By Design: Community Conservation Conference at Lewis & Clark Community College, Edwardsville IL. Register

9 am to Noon April 1st Seed St. Louis Spring Plant Sale @ Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Arrive early for best selection. Bring a box lid to carry your plants. $4 seedling 6-packs: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Bok Choy, Collards, Dinosaur Kale, Lettuce. More Info

Native Plant Sales Return: 8 am to 4 pm April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 20, 27 Missouri Wildflower Nursery @ Kirkwood Farmer’s Market. Order in advance– by Tuesday prior to market day- or buy what they bring to Market

Join us Sundays on Twitter for #GardenSunday with host @stl7thward to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.

St Louis Statehood or Greater Illinois?

November 8th, voters of California’s San Bernadino County will vote on statehood. Sorta.

The ballot question is: “Do the citizens of San Bernardino County want the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to study all options to obtain its fair share of state and federal resources, up to and including secession?”

The Fair Share ballot issue is more of a nonbinding vote in favor of flexing muscles for more state revenue.

Republicans will likely have complete domination of state government after Missouri’s November 8th election. St. Louis City will not be in any position to get much of anything good from the pro-death Republican majority in Missouri’s statewide offices and General Assembly.

The Missouri Democratic Party is a dysfunctional, useless, private club.

Republican governors today and for the foreseeable future will reshape the circuit court landscape of Missouri with appointments to courts in the state’s urban areas- St. Louis, Kansas City and Greene County (Springfield).

Missouri will become a state without checks and balances against abuse of power.

St. Louisans do not have the luxury of using the threat of secession as a bargaining chip to getting red flag laws, abortion rights, more public education funding (without first the slight of hands reducing funding first, again), or anything else from Republicans.

The Missouri GOP may agree to throw in some money for mental health services by robbing it from another program. To get that, some Democrats will probably have to vote for something on the Rex Sinquefield agenda. Republicans enjoy watching the selling out part.

Don’t get me wrong. I still want statehood for St. Louis. Two U.S. Senators. Woo Hoo! A streamlined city-county-state government. YES! Tight laws on campaign finance and lobbyists to shut out Rex Sinquefield. Damn skippy! No more wondering what horrible legislation the Republican Party will pass to force its hateful ideas on St. Louis. A gal can dream can’t she?

But maybe there is another option for St. Louis, a way out of Missouri with an ally- Illinois.

In Oregon, what began as the multi-county movement for secession to become the State of Jefferson is now the Greater Idaho movement to have the Idaho border moved to allow Oregon’s more Republican counties to become a part of Idaho. These county votes are nonbinding but the first step toward pressuring both Oregon and Idado state legislatures into voting for the change.

What if, instead of statehood, we lobbied Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker and other Illinois Democrats, Labor leaders, pro-abortion activists, etcetera, to work with St. Louis- St. Louis City, and St. Louis County if they want to come with- to become Illinois 103rd or 103rd and 104th counties.

It’s way less complicated than statehood. Congress creates an interstate compact for boundary changes, both states adopt the compact as a constitutional amendment, as happened in 1958 for Washington and Oregon. St. Louis becomes a part of Illinois, is subject to the Illinois Constitution and statutes, gets representation in Illinois General Assembly, and becomes a part of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.

Think about what it would be like to live in a state that isn’t willfully ignorant about guns.

Who on the Board of Alders will sponsor a nonbinding resolution for the St. Louis ballot to see if voters are interested in being free of Missouri and becoming Illinoisans?

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Missouri Fall Color Report
Illinois Fall Color Report

Tulip & Daffodil Bulbs- 30 for $17 – still available from Brightside St. Louis

1:30 pm Monday Leaf Walk at Bellefontaine Cemetery. Master Guide led walking tour. Register

4 pm Thursday Horticulture Hike at Bellefontaine Cemetery. Horticulturalist led walking tour focusing on trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. Be prepared to walk on uneven terrain with moderate slopes. Register

1:30 pm Thursday Leaf Walk at Bellefontaine Cemetery. Master Guide led walking tour. Register

7 pm Friday Missouri Conservation Department and Missouri Nature & Environmental Photographers Class at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Conservationist photographer Noppadol Paothong- The Art of Close-up Photography. Register

9 am Saturday Open Space Council’s River de Peres Trash Bash: Litter Pick Up, Storm Drain Marking, River des Peres Watershed Coalition Picnic. Volunteers Wanted. Register

5:30 pm Oct 24th St. Louis Public Library Pumpkin Guts Sensory Storytime at Cabanne Library. For Kids 0-5 years. Kids will play with and learn about pumpkins. Dress for the Mess. Register

5:30 pm Oct 25th Heartland Conservancy Prairie du Pont Watershed Informational Open House, Kappa House, Cahokia Hts, IL. Register

10 am Oct 26th Seed St. Louis and St. Louis Public Library Workshop: Container Gardening. Jamestown Bluff Library. Register

4 pm Oct 26th Grow Native Missouri Zoom Master Class: The Seed Cycle: Native Seed Collection, Stratification, Propagation with Mike Hoyle, manager, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery. Free: MPF members and Grow Native Professional Members. $15: non-members. Register

9 am Oct 29th ForestReLeaf Fall Tree Planting, Ruth Porter Park, St. Vincent Greenway, West End. Volunteers Wanted. Register

4 pm Oct 27the Grow Native Missouri’s FINCA EcoFarm Tour and Native Edibles Tasting @ Lincoln University, Jefferson City. Register

7:45 pm Oct 29th Missouri Conservation Department’s Night Shift Walk to the Confluence, Columbia Bottom Conservation. Area 8 Tickets Remaining. Register

6 pm Nov 9th Old North’s Northside Workshop Support the Bee Sanctuary FR at Turn Restaurant, Midtown. Tickets: $50

9 am Nov 12th ForestReLeaf North Riverfront Mississippi Greenway Tree Planting. Volunteers Wanted. Register

10 am Nov 19th Seed St. Louis In Person Workshop: Utilizing the School Garden in Winter. At Carriage House, Bell Community Garden, 3815 Bell. Register

4 pm Nov 23rd Missouri Prairie Foundation Online Master Class Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect Free to Mo Prairie Foundation members & Grow Native Missouri professional members. $15 for non-members. Register

Join us Sundays on Twitter for #GardenSunday with host @stl7thward to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Brightside St. Louis still has some daffodils and tulips for sale. 30 for $17.

Thru Nov 6th Seedfolks at Grandel Theater. A 9-year-old Vietnamese girl plants bean seeds in a trash-filled, vacant lot and starts a series of changes. Tickets

Missouri Fall Color Report and Illinois Fall Color Report

Missouri Native Plants and Illinois Native Plants

2 pm Tuesday Seed St. Louis and St. Louis County Library Workshop: Composting 101 at Grand Glaize Library, 1010 Meramec Station Rd, Manchester. Register

1 pm Wednesday Horticulture Hike at Bellefontaine Cemetery. Horticulturalist led walking tour focusing on trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. Be prepared to walk on uneven terrain with moderate slopes. Register

1:30 pm Wednesday Leaf Walk at Bellefontaine Cemetery. Master Guide led walking tour. Register

4 pm Wednesday Grow Native Missouri Webinar: Dicamba and 2,4-D- Old Herbicides Causing New Problems. Presented by Robbie Doerhoff, Forest Entomologist, Missouri Department of Conservation. Register

6 pm Thursday Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Reuse in the Garden. Register

6:15 am Saturday Missouri Department of Conservation Sunrise Breakfast at the Confluence, Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. Register

8:30 am Saturday Brightside St. Louis Blitz Clean Up @ Bellerive Park & Sister Marie Charles Park in Carondelet. Volunteers Wanted.

9 am Saturday Americorps St. Louis Clean Up at Laumeier Sculpture Park, Sappington. Mary Miss’s Pool Complex: Orchard Valley needs a clear out, clean up. Volunteers Wanted. Register

10 am to 2 pm Saturday St. Louis Audubon Society’s Bring Conservation Home Native Plant Sale at Webster University, Bookstore Parking Lot, 554 Garden, Webster Groves

10 am Saturday Plant a tree in memorial to someone special with Sustainable St. Louis Memorial Tree Planting at Shaw Forest, 39th @ DeTonty. Register

10 am Saturday Missouri Conservation Department In Person Workshop: Butterfly Gardening with Tom Terrific. At Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center.

2-5 pm Sunday Tower Grove Park and Missouri Department of Conservation Fall Frolic

10 am Oct 26th Seed St. Louis and St. Louis Public Library Workshop: Container Gardening. Jamestown Bluff Library. Register

9 am Oct 29th ForestReLeaf Fall Tree Planting, Ruth Porter Park, St. Vincent Greenway, West End. Volunteers Wanted. Register

9 am Nov 12th ForestReLeaf North Riverfront Mississippi Greenway Tree Planting. Volunteers Wanted. Register

10 am Nov 19th Seed St. Louis In Person Workshop: Utilizing the School Garden in Winter. At Carriage House, Bell Community Garden, 3815 Bell. Register

Join us Sundays on Twitter for #GardenSunday with host @stl7thward to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.