A Bioluminescent Fungus

Garth Fletcher

Shown here are two photographs of the same bioluminescent fungus, which grows on decaying birch trees in Southern New Hampshire. I have seen it on standing dead trees, but it seems more common on fallen ones.

The glow becomes visible to the dark adapted eye in the fall, usually at times of high humidity and dropping temperatures. The luminescence can be seen as early as August and can continue through early November.

Both photos were taken 22 October 2002 using an Olympus E-20 digital camera. The left exposure was made at f2.4, 1/125 sec, using flash. The right exposure was made at at f2.8 for 443 seconds in total darkness. The stray pixels in the latter image are noise resulting from the long exposure.

I would love to know more about this fungus, especially what purpose is served by what seems must be an energy intensive investment on the part of the fungus.

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