Glowing wood

[smoky10]

I received a phone call a while ago and the first words I heard were,"I wasn't drinking and am not on drugs(I recognized my nephews voice"), but have you ever heard of wood glowing? Glowing like glow sticks. He said they took a camper to a lake not far from here and set it up. After the lights were turned off he looked out and there was light. He went out and wood on the ground was glowing. I told him I had heard of it but never seen it and that, I think, it is caused by a bug or fungus. I told him I would ask you people because someone here will know. He thinks he was in the "Twilight Zone".

 

[Fred in NC]

See this: http://www2.brevard.edu/jefrick/jack.htm

 

[Mudder]

Pssssssttt......

Tell him not to sniff those aerosol fumes it will damage his brain.

Fred hit it with the mushroom and I also believe there is a fungus that will glow under certin conditions but at the mement I cannot firnd the link to it. I believe it is called the foxfire fungus...

 

[smoky10]

Fred and Mudder, you hit the nail on the head. He said there are mushrooms around where he found the glowing wood.
Mudder he won't sniff aerosol fumes, I'm afraid he might eat the mushrooms to see if it would make him glow.[}][]

 

[btboone]

That's interesting stuff. I read the thread before and had no idea. (Maybe they were near a nuclear plant!?) []

I've actually seen nuclear fuel glowing blue underwater. It's quite a sight. I'm sure glowing mushrooms must be too!

 

[Ken Massingale]

Sounds like Foxfire to me. It's common in the S.E. mountain area. It'll definitely raise the hair on the back of your neck when you get out of the tent at 3 a.m. for a 'relief' break, and see glowing 'eyes' staring at you from just outside the campfire light. I've had lot's of fun with it with friends new to backpacking.[]
ken

 

[Mudder]

Originally posted by smoky10
<br />....I'm afraid he might eat the mushrooms to see if it would make him glow.....

Sorry,

If he eats those mushrooms the glow will be from the brite light that he will go to......I believe they are deadly poisonous..

 

[chigdon]

Definately sounds like Foxfire. Here is a link with a PICTURE:

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~gbarron/MISC2003/foxfire.htm