Foxfire

Well, I have heard of something called foxfire...and I wanna know what the hellz this stuff is...I heard in Japanese legend that it comes from fox spirits or something other...but what!?

Mozilla Firefox is the name of the browser I am using.

-ONIAG

[edit on 21-3-2007 by Oh NO ITs AL GORE]

Foxfire is a term for the bioluminescence found in fungus that tends to grow in swamps and the deeper parts of forests.



[edit on 21-3-2007 by tebyen]

Originally posted by OkamiZaku
Well, I have heard of something called foxfire...and I wanna know what the hellz this stuff is...I heard in Japanese legend that it comes from fox spirits or something other...but what!?

Somebody's been watching too much Inuyasha and Naruto...

The character in "Inuyasha" called Shippo uses a main attack called "fox fire".

But yeah, foxfire is supposedly the chi of the ninetailed fox in Japanese legend.

Originally posted by OkamiZaku
Well, I have heard of something called foxfire...and I wanna know what the hellz this stuff is...I heard in Japanese legend that it comes from fox spirits or something other...but what!?

Next time I fully read the post before replying.

If you're interested in learning about the Japanese legend, look for the kitsune.

Actually foxfire is the bio luminescent mycelium of the honey mushroom. also the jack o lantern mushroom has luminescent gills. Both mushrooms grow on wood but it is the hair like mycelium of the honey mushroom that is referred to as foxfire and it glows a light blue. It is quite spooky. I first saw it when I was a boy scout camping at Camp Powhatan in the mountains of southwest Virginia.

So, is fox fore a mushroom or a fungus. Were did it get the name? weird...
peace

Originally posted by grover
Actually foxfire is the bio luminescent mycelium of the honey mushroom. also the jack o lantern mushroom has luminescent gills. Both mushrooms grow on wood but it is the hair like mycelium of the honey mushroom that is referred to as foxfire and it glows a light blue. It is quite spooky. I first saw it when I was a boy scout camping at Camp Powhatan in the mountains of southwest Virginia.

That's the literal meaning of foxfire. The definition that I gave was the mythical meaning. Personally, I don't believe in the mythical meaning of foxfire.

Where does anything get its name? I live (and grew up in) in the central Appalachians and the Shenandoah and there are all sorts of odd names... moral mushrooms are often called wood fish for example. Why? Who knows. They certainly don't taste like fish...foxfire, like wood fish is a folk name. It is quite striking though seeing a wood aglow with foxfire though.

The honey mushroom (the genus Armillaria) mycelium grows outwards from a central core spreading as it goes. It is odd to think about it but the mycelium is the actual plant and the mushrooms we pick (and sometimes eat...honey mushrooms as a rule are quite edible but some interact with alcohol and can make you quite sick if you have any in your system) is actually the fruiting body and short lived but the mycelium on the other hand can live for thousands of years and can form the largest lifeforms on the planet. Seriously. Scientists have proven for example that all the mycelium of the honey mushroom species Armillaria Ostoyae in a 2,200 acre area of the Malheur National forest in Oregon are one plant. There is another patch that I know of in Michigan as well.... and if there are these two cases then there are others.

Fungi are one of the oddest lifeforms on this planet, and one we cannot do without.

Originally posted by grover
Where does anything get its name? I live (and grew up in) in the central Appalachians and the Shenandoah and there are all sorts of odd names... moral mushrooms are often called wood fish for example.

Another name round here for morels is "merkles", never knew why just thought it might be slang for "miracles", anyway it should be merkle hunting time within the next couple of weeks....

I can't wait!!

Originally posted by JacKatMtn

Originally posted by grover
Where does anything get its name? I live (and grew up in) in the central Appalachians and the Shenandoah and there are all sorts of odd names... moral mushrooms are often called wood fish for example.

Another name round here for morels is "merkles", never knew why just thought it might be slang for "miracles", anyway it should be merkle hunting time within the next couple of weeks....

I can't wait!!

I had forgotten about that one....it sounds German to me and might be related to a German folk name of Morels but I don't know about that. Yep the season of joy and fustration (morel season) is coming.

So are you in SW Va?

Originally posted by grover
So are you in SW Va?

Luray,

German huh?, matter of fact most of the original settlers around here were from Germany, now you got me on another knowledge quest for the origin of the nickname....

....at the same time I'll get some info on foxfire..

Pretty area... I am in Roanoke.

Morels are an odd and contrary bunch and I doubt we will see many this year as the winter has been so warm. from what i have read in my mycology books, they need a good cold snap prior to fruiting but who knows, like I said they are contrary.

Pertaining to merkles I found this nice article on the subject:

Breakfast of Champignons

On a warm May afternoon about ten years ago, Kirk Smith was preparing for a photo shoot near Georgetown’s Dumbarton House. As he lined up vintage Victorian costumes on a retaining wall next to the estate’s service entrance, he happened to glance under a stand of pine trees behind the wall. It was late in the season and an atypical habitat, but Smith noticed more than a half-dozen perfectly formed, choice black morels poking up from the mat of fallen pine needles. He exclaimed with such excitement that he spooked his model.

At the P Street Whole Foods, a pound of fresh morels from Pennsylvania goes for $44.99. They’re dark, the largest is about 2 inches from tip to toe, and many bear traces of mold. Except for their wrinkles, they have little resemblance to the photographs in field guides. Whole Foods also offers packages of dried “Pointed Morel Mushrooms,” priced at $109.99 per pound.

Now back to the subject of foxfire, I found this informative piece on these fungi:

Foxfire: Bioluminescent Fungi

Foxfire is a natural phenomenon sometimes visible at night in forests. It's caused by bioluminescent fungi in special conditions—usually on rotting bark. Foxfire is caused by a range of different species of fungi, though Armillaria mellea appears to be the most common source. This particular species emits a bluish-green glow, like glow in the dark toys. I've also come across reports of redish lights, however, which are most probably caused by other species.

There is also an eerie photo of the foxfire there and some other links to info...

Originally posted by TheB1ueSoldier

Originally posted by OkamiZaku
Well, I have heard of something called foxfire...and I wanna know what the hellz this stuff is...I heard in Japanese legend that it comes from fox spirits or something other...but what!?

Somebody's been watching too much Inuyasha and Naruto...

The character in "Inuyasha" called Shippo uses a main attack called "fox fire".

But yeah, foxfire is supposedly the chi of the ninetailed fox in Japanese legend.

True. I do watch Naruto and InuYasha, but I just heard of it from the Kyuubi no Kitsune legend from Japanese (Shinto) legend. They said something about the souls of 9 foxes that are also maidens that produce the chi "foxfire".

Do you think there could be a mythological type Foxfire? I allready know what the fungus king is...I see it all the time in a group of trees. But I could of sworn I saw Foxfire just like the Japanese legend said.

In Japanese folklore, foxes are magical creatures.
They can shapeshift and can create intricate illusions.
Sometimes, they use their magic to create lights to confuse travelers who may come too close to their dens.
These travelers follow the lights, thinking that they are the torches of a town and wind up getting lost, being lured away from the fox dens.
There are lots of stories of foxes taking on the appearance of people who are lost and need to be escorted somewhere, only to confuse and befuddle their rescuers.
Sometimes, a fox spirit will possess someone and make them do silly, embarrassing things.
They're not so much bad or evil as they are practical jokers.
If you befriend a fox, it will usually stay with you for life, bringing you luck and protecting you from danger.
Often times, they have a ball or similar toy that they love to play with.

I don't want to sound rude or anything but these types of thread could be answered with a swift Google search.

The first page I found (searching with foxfire shinto) produced this page with information on a whole heap of the shinto mythology of foxes, including (you guessed it, fox-fire!

Yes JackofBlades, that is true.
But, there's a certain satisfaction, in asking a question and receiving an answer.
Sometimes, you just need to get the information directly from another person, rather than from a book or website.

I was really just wondering. This foxfire stuff interests me.