yobbo II
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chemiluminescence from decaying stick
Hi,
I was walking in the dark when I seen a glowing object. Picture attached.
The light in the picture looks green but in reality is looks more a cold blue/white light.
I looked at the stick 24 hours later and it was still glowing but not as strongy.
The picture is about 2 minutes exposure at F3 and iso 800.
I also superimposed the emitted light on a picture taken of the stick with a flash.
Yob
![glowANDstick_cropped.jpg - 1.1MB](https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/files.php?pid=663935&aid=89797) ![glow_cropped.jpg - 441kB](https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/files.php?pid=663935&aid=89795)
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UC235
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Some mushroom mycelium is bioluminescent which is almost certainly what you were seeing. There are quite a few options for species: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bioluminescent_fungus_...
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karlos³
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Where do you live?
If its in southern europe, I would say, Omphalotus olearis, the glowing oil tree mushroom.
Thats quite a strong glow!
Or does it just appear like this?
If the glow was weaker, and you're in europe or north america, then it might also be Armillaria mellea.
They are the usual cause for weakly glowing dead wood.
I am actually a bit envious that you saw them live in the woods!
Either I never saw any... because I went on my own deep into the woods at night(and honestly, might have been a bit more freightened than would be
acceptable, because darkness, and grunting hogs in the bushes).
And if I didn't went alone.... then, the other people also added, besides a sense of safety, a much higher sense of distraction ![:P](./images/smilies/tongue.gif)
So, no, never seen bioluminscent mushrooms on my own.
But personally, they appear to be likely of the Armillaria genus.
E: without knowing where you live, I would say the genus is Armillaria, and I am pretty sure.
There are no other just as widespread bioluminescent mushrooms known, especially, because in that case, also the mycelium is glowing.
While other species only having notably glowing fruiting bodies.
But this honey fungus(is this the right english trivial name for Armillaria mellea?) is one of those who have such a notably glowing mycelium, that
infested pieces of wood have been used to mark routes by the germanic people.
The german name "Hallimasch" is reminiscent of this, as the first syllable, "Hall", is just another pronounciation of "Hel", or as it is called in
english... "hell" ![:P](./images/smilies/tongue.gif)
I'm not a historian, so I drop this bit and leave it to your own thoughts ![:)](./images/smilies/smile.gif)
[Edited on 12-8-2021 by karlos³]
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yobbo II
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The glow was in the UK around Manchester latitude.
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karlos³
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I am pretty certain this is mycelium of Armillaria mellea, the honey mushroom, then.
Not even sure if one of the few other bioluminescent mushroom species we have here in
europe glows even noticeably bright enough from the mycelium to be visible the naked eye?
Its mostly their fruiting bodies which emit a bright enough light to be seen.
But the honey mushroom's mycelium glow is definitely bright enough.
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yobbo II
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Thanks for replys.
I checked for the glow today, about 9 days after I first noticed it, and there is still a faint glow. You would have to know where to look at this
stage, with your eyes well adjusted to the dark.
Checking around I do not see any other glows.
There is no fruiting body ('mushroom') on the stick, just the mycelium (I guess).
Yob
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pneumatician
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this is not any mushroom, some rotten wood and a lot of others matters in rotting process emits light. You can red innumerable "tales" of this around.
Floating around a book with a lot of light emitters never? read here.
So any book in fermentation-putrefaction explain this.
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yobbo II
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It could be 'willow the wisp' if there was a lot of P, like a rotting animal in a marsh.
But this is probably mycelium of some sort.
Yob
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