Foray Log- Hebo Lake UV Night Foray, July 10, 2021

Our study group has been talking about this for a couple years now. A night foray to look for bioluminescent fungi was something that we wanted do since our friend stumbled upon some glowing mycelium on a log a couple years ago. We knew it might be a longshot so to ensure we found something on this night walk we purchased some UV flashlights to find some UV reactive things as well. I scheduled the foray on the new moon so it would be as dark as possible and we decided to camp so we didn’t have to drive home at 2am.

Jordan and I made up the team from our study group to go on a day scouting trip and set up camp. We caravanned to Hebo Lake and claimed the last two camp sites for the day. We were really glad we got there early so we could set up. Later that evening, my family rolled in with all of our gear and then we all got to work setting up, making dinner and getting ready for the night.

Jordan and I scouted the campground, the trails and drove up Mt. Hebo to find some places we thought might be a good place to go in the dark. Since we were going to be there two nights, we decided to just stick to the campground and surrounding trails, so we wouldn’t have to drive. When we scouted, we found some berries that were just ripening, but most everything still needed a few weeks to mature. The fungi seemed to be non-existent. Usually we can find a Mycena or even a Russula at this time of year, but we were coming up with nothing. We looked under duff, kicked over humps, lifted logs and there was just no macro-fungi anywhere.

Just after dusk we began our journey with two UV flashlights, two kids, two dogs and pitch blackness except for Jordans red-light head lamp. We walked the main loop around the campground and immediately found lots of millipedes that were glowing blue in the UV light. I stoped and took photos, then we continued on. We never found any bioluminescent fungi, but the UV light was really fun to walk with. The Fox Glove flowers glowed, certain lichens on the tree trunks shined with different florescent hues, and we even found some glowing glass broken on the ground. We stopped at the old growth log at the entrance to the campground just to see if there was anything fungal that might react. Sure enough, I caught a glint of florescent yellow buried in the decomposing knot of wood.

The Ganoderma margins were glowing a soft purple, as any white object will react with the UV light. Just below the glowing bands, was a hint of yellow and as I pulled the rotting nob off of the cluster of Hypholoma fasiculare https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/86782711 I was struck by the bright reaction saw from the UV light on these mushrooms. So I set up my tripod and got to work photographing the amazing structure of these mushrooms in new light.

This decomposing leaf litter was covered in a bright florescent orange powder under UV light.

We continued on, laughing at the glow-in-the-dark party happening on the fishing docks from all of the Powerbait smears all over the handrails and board walks, and ended up at the Pioneer Trailhead. We had scouted this earlier in the day and collected some Salmon berries so I could start a “Hebo” yeast culture to make vinegar in the future. We never saw any fungi, but decided to go in anyways with our UV light. We stopped by the Monotropa uniflora first, since I had seen that budding earlier that day, and then began walking along the path. The UV light really messes with my depth perception, so I had a hard time noticing tree roots sticking out of the path. I tripped a lot on this night walk, but I am never at my most graceful when walking through the woods.

I was lighting up the sides of the path when all of the sudden a flash of bright florescent orange caught my eye. It seemed to be buried by some moss and plant leaves. I took some photos then grabbed a handful of the florescent forest floor and was delighted to see that it went further down. We pulled the moss away and discovered the leaves, sticks and pine needles just covered in this bright orange matter. As we handled the leaf litter the orange began to streak my hands. When we looked at this and my hands under the normal light of the flashlight, we could not see anything there. Later the next day when we could look at this under the daylight, we found that it was a sort of rusty colored powder. Jordan and I began brainstorming all of the possible uses for this. This has too be our most exciting find on the trip. Invisible during the day and bright florescent orange with the UV light.

The next day we went and scouted places all the way to South Lake to try and find some fungi. Jordan took me to a bog and as soon as we stepped in there, we found a sweet little orange mushroom growing at the edges of the evaporating bog. I took photos and gathered specimens, and when we got back to camp, we sat down with Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast and Mushrooms Demystified to figure out what we had. The closest I could key it out to was Ricknella fibula and posted it on iNat when I got home. This fungi may actually be Loreleia, and I will need to send it in to get it DNA tested. Right now our WVMS Funga group has a grant from FunDiS to get 50 specimens sequenced and I think this might be one that I send in.

We were just a bit early for the thimbleberries and huckleberries, but they will be ripe soon. I picked a couple pints of the pink huckleberries and orange salmonberries to make a yeast culture to start making vinegar. I brought a little mason jar with a tablespoon of sugar, just in case I found some ripe berries. I rinsed off the plumpest berries and added them to my jar with the sugar and then added water to cover the berries. This will just need to sit on my counter for the next week while the culture grows into something I can use to start the vinegar making process.

Art of the day

“Spectical” -Digital Photograph by Autumn Anglin

Foray Log 710.2021 - Hebo Night Foray

Art of the day

Blackberry Vinegar

A Fairy Forest