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Jack o lanterns?


diana

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Yup, Jack 'o Lantern, Omphalotus illudens. 

To see the glowing (usually most prominent on the gills), the material needs to be freshly sprouted, picked just before taking to the dark room, and the room needs to be completely dark. The one time it worked well for me, I picked a bunch of nice fresh young ones, took them immediately into a very dark closet, and needed to wait 5 minutes or so before the effect kicked in.

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Anyone investigating "glow in the dark" objects should keep in mind that human eyes take some time to become adapted to faint light.  That is probably why Dave said that it took 5 minutes for the glow to kick in.  It takes about 30 minutes for the eyes to approach full adaptation, even longer for seniors.  15 minutes of being in the dark only gets you to the halfway point.  So, the key to seeing Jack O' Lanterns is to do it in complete darkness and wait long enough.

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That makes sense, vitog. My one successful viewing of Ompaholotus bioluminescence was about 20 years ago. But I still remember that the effect became more prominent as time inside the dark closet went by. 

Have you ever seen Foxfire? A long time ago --maybe 40 years ago-- I was camping in a primitive site near a stream --birch, beech, maple, ash, hemlock in this area. Must have been a new moon night; roots and sticks took to glowing in the darkness. 

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