Foxfire?

[Sean Ryan]

I was camping last weekend, and had my first encounter with bioluminescent honey mushrooms. At first I thought someone had splashed some glow-in-the-dark paint, since it gives off foxfire in that exact glowstick shade of green. It occurs on dead trees for the most part, and the mushrooms have been known to wreck forested areas by overwhelming trees and then feasting on them after they've died. There are reports going back hundreds of years that people marked trails with these mushrooms during the day, and then followed the glow to find their way back at night.

Has anyone had experience with these mushrooms in caves? Dead wood gets washed into caves all the time. At some point these mushrooms must have sprouted on a tree that got washed in a sinkhole. Or maybe someone intentionally set up these mushrooms in a cave. Theoretically, couldn't you light a cave only with these mushrooms if you had enough?

[Bruce Rogers]

Take a look at this site:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioluminescence>

It has a lot of information and links to other sources of information.

In lava tube caves along the CA-OR border, one can occasionally find biolumenescence on rotting wood, but it is very subdued with a very faint blue-green cast.

I doubt that one could seed a cave with spores, grow mushrooms, and have enough light to cave safely.

Cheers,
Bruce Rogers, earth scientist on a good day

[CKB69]

Had some around my campsite this year at TAG. 8)
It was growing on rotten pine logs.