Today I’ve got some nature news you can use, or at least delight in:
Psychedelics and Bug Bellyaches
If you know anything about psychedelic mushrooms, you probably know they grow easily in the Pacific Northwest. But did you know they can be found in city parks? And also, it’s not clear why exactly they developed, but it seems they predated humans by millions of years, and the psychoactive compound might have formed to give insects bellyaches — or more precisely, to make the mushrooms unappealing to eat. [OPB]
Solar Eclipse Tourism Boom
A solar eclipse on Oct.14 is causing a tourism boom in Southern Oregon. It’s not a complete eclipse, but it’s dramatic: A “ring of fire” — a circle of light — will be visible around the moon as it passes in front of the sun. Accommodations in Klamath County are already hard to find because it’ll be visible there and the forecast calls for clear weather. That’s unlike the western part of the state (find out why 👇). [Oregonian]
Crazy Amounts of Rain Next Week?
The rainy season may begin with a dramatic flourish next week. There’s a high chance that starting Wednesday morning the Portland area will get more than the usual amount of rain for this time of year. There’s also a smaller chance that we’ll get our first atmospheric river (aka a gusher of rain). [KOIN]
