The Mycena Lux-coeli is a unique mushroom that only grows in a special region in japan and usually only after a rainy spell. The photos of these are amazing. What an intense green color. I would guess seeing these by accident on a long walk at night would be something special.
“With the arrival of Japan’s rainy season (which typically lasts from the end of May to July), a glow-in-the-dark mushroom begins to sprout in Wakayama prefecture. The Mycena lux-coeli mushrooms, known locally as shii no tomobishi-dake (literally, “chinquapin glow mushrooms”), sprout from fallen chinquapin trees. As they grow, a chemical reaction involving luciferin (a light-emitting pigment contained within the mushrooms) occurs, causing them to glow a ghostly green.
The caps can grow to as large as 2 cm (about 1 inch) in diameter, but because the mushrooms are prone to dehydration, they only have a few days to live once the rain stops.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.