The Coast Salish Mushroom Rain

It started in the middle of the night, drumming on the roof and canopy, cleaning every leaf and needle, every stem and flower, on its way into the dry earth. We live nestled up to a rainforest but it's getting dryer every year, this is the first significant rain we've had in months. The Coast Salish watched nature's patterns for thousands of years, it was religion and necessity, one pattern they figured out long ago was the Mushroom Rain. These long time residents used the forest's mushroom crops as food and shaman's visionary tool. The Salish watched and chanted for the Mushroom Rain as the summer nights grew chillier, today it came again.

This storm will drop about an inch of rain today, more tomorrow. It'll be the biggest 24hr total since Jan. 15th which is scary in itself. We live in a coastal rainforest but are still a part of the western n. american drought, the deserts are winning, the hibernating mud dispairs.

Countless billions of mycelium rejoiced this morning along with the rest of us rainforest renegades. At the store, the gas station, the regional park every human grinned, everyone loved the smell, the sound, the clean air, it was the only topic. Stanfields or other wool sweaters, umbrella somewhere under the back seat, gumboots somewhere, if ya live along the Salish Sea ya got 'em somewhere. This morning reminded me how important they'll be in a couple months.

Each day now on our ranforest walk we'll see tiny fungus beginning to bud, mushrooms of all sizes, colors and shapes will emerge through the weeks and months ahead. The fungi breakdown the forest's fallen providing food for its fauna like birds and slugs, as well as the flora next spring. The Mushroom Rain brought its circular gift of life to us all today.