2 minute read
Behold The Glow-In-The-Dark Jack-O'-Lantern Mushroom
Jada Thur
Jada Thur is a communications specialist in the DNR’s Office of Communications.
Picture this: It’s an early fall evening, and you’re wandering through the enchanted woodlands of Wisconsin. Suddenly, you spot a mysterious thing among the foliage — glowing mushrooms!
These aren’t just any mushrooms; they’re jack-o’-lantern mushrooms (Omphalotus illudens), lighting up the forest floor with their eerie, greenish-yellow glow. Common throughout North America, you can find these luminous fungi during summer and fall. Generally growing in clusters on decaying wood, they’re often found near tree stumps or fallen logs.
Jack-o’-lantern mushrooms grow about 2-8 inches tall and release a strong but pleasant odor. With vibrant orange-to-yellow bodies and dark orange underside gills, their color resembles a pumpkin. Add in the glow, and it’s easy to see why they’re named jack-o’-lanterns.
But their glow is no trick. They’re bioluminescent, meaning they cast their own soft light. These mushrooms are nature’s own little night lights.
Admire The Light Show
How do these mushrooms pull off such a fun party treat? It’s all thanks to a chemical reaction in their cells where enzymes oxidize a compound called luciferin. Nature’s glow can serve many purposes. For organisms like jellyfish or fireflies, it acts as a means of communication or camouflage.
In the case of the jack-o’-lantern mushroom, this light show plays a vital role in its lifecycle. By attracting nocturnal insects with their light, the mushrooms ensure their spores get dispersed far and wide, helping them reproduce and thrive.
Encountering jack-o’-lantern mushrooms can be a unique experience. If you’re up for a spooky adventure, head into the woods after dark. Bring a flashlight fitted with a red filter to keep from giving off too much light, then wander the trails and watch for glowing clusters.
But a word of caution whispers through the trees — these poisonous mushrooms should not be foraged or eaten. It’s best to admire the bioluminescent wonders where they grow, leaving them to contribute to the beauty and biodiversity of Wisconsin’s woodlands.
