Site search
sponsored by
News
ENLARGE
Raini Rippy
Spring is in the air and it won’t be long before camping season is in full swing. Here’s something to think about while you are telling spooky stories around the campfire.
Have you heard of foxfire, faerie fire and will-o’-the-wisp? These terms often refer to fungal bioluminescence, a biochemical reaction in which chemical energy is converted into light energy. The word ‘foxfire’ is derived from French ‘faux fire,’ or false fire. In simple terms, bioluminescence is “living light.” It is a cold light, producing no heat. You are probably most familiar with this reaction in fireflies. There are also bioluminescent species of bacteria, algae, crustaceans, and fish.
Foxfire is more visible in the fall than any other time of year. Water, oxygen, and temperature have to be at the optimum levels for fungi to be actively growing.
Most species of bioluminescent fungi are basidiomycetes that decay wood and other plant residues. More than 40 species of fungi are luminescent and most are located in the tropics. Some species of fungi, such as Omphalotus olearis (Jack o’Lantern mushroom), have entire bodies that glow. This includes the mushroom and the mycelium of the fungus. Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus that consists of thread-like fungal cells. Other fungi have limited luminescence, such as Mycena rorida, with its luminous spores. Mycelium and rhizomorphs of the honey mushroom, Armillaria mellea, are bioluminescent.
Wood containing bioluminescent mycelium has been referred to as touchwood. This wood emits a weak green light. Aristotle wrote about luminous wood as far back as 382 B.C. Glowing rotted wood was used as makeshift lanterns to light forest paths. It was documented that Spanish soldiers strapped luminous wood to their helmets to stay together during night raids. Troops in both world wars, and even some in Vietnam, used glowing wood, plant debris, or mushrooms to light their way and prevent colliding with each other. Some even used mushroom “light” to read by.
It has been suggested that touchwood might have been the magic wand of folklore. Also, according to folklore, so-called fairy sparks in decaying wood showed where fairies held their nightly festivities. California miner’s lore suggests that glowing wood marked places where miners had been killed.
The ecological role of bioluminescence is still debatable. One speculation is that glowing mushrooms attract insects that become vectors in spore dispersal. Bioluminescence may be nothing more than a byproduct of a metabolic process.
Biotechnology is something we hear a lot about lately. Well, bioluminescence is not immune to biotechnology. Someday you may see glowing trees lining highways to save electric bills. Or plants that luminesce when they need watering. And how about Christmas trees that do not need lights? It might seem a little farfetched, but who knows? Maybe you’ll be reading after dark with an organic flashlight.
So, look around the next time you are wandering around the woods after dark. Maybe you’ll see little green dancing lights.
Have you heard of foxfire, faerie fire and will-o’-the-wisp? These terms often refer to fungal bioluminescence, a biochemical reaction in which chemical energy is converted into light energy. The word ‘foxfire’ is derived from French ‘faux fire,’ or false fire. In simple terms, bioluminescence is “living light.” It is a cold light, producing no heat. You are probably most familiar with this reaction in fireflies. There are also bioluminescent species of bacteria, algae, crustaceans, and fish.
Foxfire is more visible in the fall than any other time of year. Water, oxygen, and temperature have to be at the optimum levels for fungi to be actively growing.
Most species of bioluminescent fungi are basidiomycetes that decay wood and other plant residues. More than 40 species of fungi are luminescent and most are located in the tropics. Some species of fungi, such as Omphalotus olearis (Jack o’Lantern mushroom), have entire bodies that glow. This includes the mushroom and the mycelium of the fungus. Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus that consists of thread-like fungal cells. Other fungi have limited luminescence, such as Mycena rorida, with its luminous spores. Mycelium and rhizomorphs of the honey mushroom, Armillaria mellea, are bioluminescent.
Wood containing bioluminescent mycelium has been referred to as touchwood. This wood emits a weak green light. Aristotle wrote about luminous wood as far back as 382 B.C. Glowing rotted wood was used as makeshift lanterns to light forest paths. It was documented that Spanish soldiers strapped luminous wood to their helmets to stay together during night raids. Troops in both world wars, and even some in Vietnam, used glowing wood, plant debris, or mushrooms to light their way and prevent colliding with each other. Some even used mushroom “light” to read by.
It has been suggested that touchwood might have been the magic wand of folklore. Also, according to folklore, so-called fairy sparks in decaying wood showed where fairies held their nightly festivities. California miner’s lore suggests that glowing wood marked places where miners had been killed.
The ecological role of bioluminescence is still debatable. One speculation is that glowing mushrooms attract insects that become vectors in spore dispersal. Bioluminescence may be nothing more than a byproduct of a metabolic process.
Biotechnology is something we hear a lot about lately. Well, bioluminescence is not immune to biotechnology. Someday you may see glowing trees lining highways to save electric bills. Or plants that luminesce when they need watering. And how about Christmas trees that do not need lights? It might seem a little farfetched, but who knows? Maybe you’ll be reading after dark with an organic flashlight.
So, look around the next time you are wandering around the woods after dark. Maybe you’ll see little green dancing lights.
Raini Rippy is an Extension forester for OSU Extension Service in Douglas County. She can be reached by e-mail at raini.rippy@oregonstate.edu or at 541-672-4461.
