Glowing roots?

Lindey

Lindey

Joined
Apr 13, 2005
Messages
842
Hey there all, earlier this evening I was out for a night hike with some buddies and stumbled across something I thought to be quite interesting. While walking I noticed something glowing on the ground, when I turned on my light I found that the glow was coming from a chip out of a tree root. When I cut into it, we found that the centre of the root was glowing. I took a few pieces out of curiosity and found that even after returning home it still glows but in the light it appears to be normal root samples. Perhaps this is normal in some parts, but it's new to me. What to you guys think of all this?

-Lindey
 
I've read a book that talked about a certain type plant that would glow. So all I know right now is that it's not a ghost, it's an actual glowing plant/tree. If I find the book i'll update
 
Some plants have roots or other parts that are a bright white and catch more ambient light than other things and appear to glow, but some are truly bioluminescent. Bioluminescent fungi seem to be more common than plants.
 
Humm that must be where they get glow sticks from -- wow you actually found the tree. Good job.
 
I've found glowing fungi in PA but never tree roots. You should go back and identify the tree... or find the toxic waste dump. Any nuke plants close by? (no pun intended)Mac
 
"Foxfire" is a common term for some kind of fungus will grow on tree stumps (I *think* its only on dead wood). The fungus itself is one of the microscopic types, so you don't see actual mushrooms or anything, just a faintly glowing stump.

I've heard about it, but never had the pleasure of seeing it. I'm jealous.
 
I used to be a mushroom farmer and grew saprophytic (wood-eating) culinary varieties such a shiitake, maitake, lion's mane, oyster, and others. We had a great number of different species in the lab - one of which was a tropical bioluminescent species. The mycelium would glow when grown out into a block of sterilized sawdust. We just grew it for fun (turn out the lights in the lab and check out the cool glow!!) since the species wasn't an edible variety.

Almost certainly you've run across a species of bioluminescent mushroom consuming the roots of a tree.
 
Hey all, thanks for the info. I guess that was one key detail I forgot to mention was the the tree roots were decomposing. The trees in the area were mostly maple and oak. THose of you that suggested it was a glowing fungus decomposing the roots are most likely right. I was talking to a buddy about it last night not long after posting and he told me of how he's read about those back in the days of Aristotle talking about haunted dead trees and cursed roots etc. and how soldiers in WWII had been known to use pieces frod decomposing trees to mark themselves top guard against friendly fire in the trenches. He said that the wood was glowing because of a fungus like Foxfire which a few of you have mentioned. Fortunately there didn't appear to be any toxic waste around. Cheers.

-Lindey
 
Crap-- and I thought this was the mother lode for the glow stick business.
 
In 1991 I was digging a fighting postion at Ft Jackson SC, it was night and we were observing noise and light discipline. At about 3 or 4 feet down me and my team mate saw something glowing in the bottom of the hole, we covered ourselves with a poncho and turned on a flashlight, in the light it looked like an ordinary root, turn the light off and it glowed very noticeably. Bare in mind this root was down at least 3 feet underground, I have no idea why it glowed but it did, fungus I guess, but it tripped out two very tired soldiers. Chris
 
runningboar said:
In 1991 I was digging a fighting postion at Ft Jackson SC, it was night and we were observing noise and light discipline. At about 3 or 4 feet down me and my team mate saw something glowing in the bottom of the hole, we covered ourselves with a poncho and turned on a flashlight, in the light it looked like an ordinary root, turn the light off and it glowed very noticeably. Bare in mind this root was down at least 3 feet underground, I have no idea why it glowed but it did, fungus I guess, but it tripped out two very tired soldiers. Chris
Click to expand...

Be thankful that glowing roots was all you tired soldiers saw. I was there in 2003 and thought I saw people trying to sneak past me all night long. :eek: This was after 4 days no sleep.:D
 
Hey Guys....

Last year while bear hunting I found a small grub (larve) that was glowing..
Still not sure what it was...

Interesting...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
runningboar said:
AZsoldier,

You wouldn't be at Ft Huachuca would you?

The sun never sets on a Thunderbird.
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He may not be, but I sure am. Have been since March 18th... and I'm still waiting to get into class! *sigh* Looks like I'm gonna get to see all 4 seasons here.

On a related note, bioluminescent flora (or is it fauna?) is very interesting to me. I purchased a UV LED light so I could walk around post and see if I could find some glowing rocks. So far, I've found a few! It's a fun little hobby.
 
I love Ft Huachuca and would still be there but DA had different plans for me. The constant deployments get old but that is life in the army today. I take it you are there for MI school?
 
Azsoldier said:
Be thankful that glowing roots was all you tired soldiers saw. I was there in 2003 and thought I saw people trying to sneak past me all night long. :eek: This was after 4 days no sleep.:D
Click to expand...


Amen, dude. Sleep deprivation does crazy stuff to your brain, I've never even gone 4 straight, like you, but woah...
 
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