There's Glow-In-The-Dark Fungus In Iowa's Woods Called Foxfire

For most of us, it isn’t very often that a chance presents itself to wander through the Iowa woods after dark. But the next time you do happen to find yourself in such a situation, keep your eyes peeled for one of the most magical natural phenomena in Iowa: foxfire.

Also known as fairy fire or even chimpanzee fire, foxfire refers to the ability of certain types of fungi to emit a bioluminescent light.

In other words, we're talking about glow-in-the-dark mushrooms!

At least two types of fungus known for producing bioluminescent light are commonly found in forests throughout the Midwest, including Iowa's: some Panellus species, also known as bitter oyster mushrooms, and some Omphalotus species, also known as jack-o'-lantern mushrooms.

Foxfire is typically a greenish, continuous light. Although not completely understood, the bioluminescence is attributed to a substance known as "luciferin" and is affected by such environmental factors as pH, light, and temperature.

The eerie green glow can be faint and hard to detect or bright enough to read by.

Although foxfire has been observed since ancient times, it's not a well-known phenomenon in the modern-day. Perhaps the most common way people stumble across this strange, glowing sight is by accident, often on a log of firewood that they're carrying into the house to load into the woodstove for the night.

Have you ever witnessed this strange fairy fire? Where did you spot it? Did you know what you were seeing?

To learn more about how foxfire works or see a list of species of fungus that exhibit this bioluminescent trait, head over to Wikipedia here. Isn’t nature so cool? Except when it’s not…

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Deep In The Forests Of Iowa, There's A Magical Fungus That Glows In The Dark

Cristy

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