Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Jack O'Lanterns Of A Different Kind


Driving through the neighborhood, I spotted these Jack O'Lantern mushrooms. They are such a brilliant orange that I could see them half a block away. I suspected that they are poisonous, and I was right. Nature often uses very bright colors as a warning sign. Lots of people pick these mushrooms and eat them because they confuse them with chanterelles, which are a gourmet treat. They will not kill you, but they will make people so sick that they usually end up in the hospital. Now to why they are called Jack O'Lanterns. It is not just their color. The gills glow bright green in the dark! They contain a luminescent chemical that makes a bright green glow. So these Jack O'Lanterns even have their own light inside! Here's someone who people were afraid of because he glowed, but it was not from a chemical.


"When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn't know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw his radiant face, and held back, afraid to get close to him."
Exodus 34:29



"

29 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Karin said...

Have never seen these before! Very interesting!

Ruth Hiebert said...

That is very interesting. It might almost be scary to see these in the dark.

Arti said...

They do look very beautiful. Never seen such glowing mushrooms!!
Very intruiging indeed.
Have a nice day Ginny:)

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Great name for them, Jack O'Lantern Mushrooms, Ginny... The color is perfect for this time of year, isn't it????

Great set of photos.
Hugs,
Betsy

Marie said...

How interesting. Nice photos Ginny. Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Cheryl @ TFD said...

These are very unusual! Hope no one tries to eat one!

SquirrelQueen said...

That is certainly a perfect name for this mushroom. I have never seen that type before. The glow must be a little eerie on a dark night.

Unknown said...

LOVE these photos! How fun - yes, God has surely given us an incredible world to live in! His glory is displayed everywhere we look! Love your blog!

Fred Alton said...

Great pictures, Ginny! And I love the Scripture you put with it. Have you seen the glow of God's presence on the face of a new convert? I think I have.

Neal said...

There are a lot of mushrooms that I see that I wonder if they are poison because of the way they look. There are some bright orange ones that aren't poisonous but I never take a chance. :)

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

Beautiful pictures, you sure captured this lovely fungi. I like the detail and now thick they are.

From the Kitchen said...

I love mushrooms but would never try to collect them myself. I've never seen this color except in chanterelles. They certainly are "show offs".

Best,
Bonnie

Nikki (Sarah) said...

powerful post Ginny...love the analogy and never knew this about those kinds of mushrooms.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Those are some crazy looking mushrooms! I don't think I've ever seen them before.

Mary Bergfeld said...

These are wonderful photos, Ginny. Mushroom picking is best left to experts or done with experts supervising what is picked. This was a really interesting post. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

MadSnapper said...

this is my day to find things i have never seen before or even heard of, several things today. these are way cool, now i want to see them glow in the dark. i just found lanterns on another post, check them out
http://magiclanternshowen.blogspot.com i found them on clyties random hearts. you will LOVE theme

Reena said...

Such beautiful photos today Ginny! Only mushrooms I've ever picked and ate (which are delicious) are the morels. So tasty!

photowannabe said...

Fascinating fungus. I have never seen aaanything like them. To think they glow in the dark is quite amazing. I love how you brought in Moses' glowing face into your post.
You should do a book of these.

Stephanie V said...

Mushrooms are really fascinating... yours are such a pretty color. I love the huge variety that we get locally. Not sure if any are edible because I'd be too afraid to eat them, even if I was assured of safety.

Remington said...

I have never seen those before. Cute! Thanks for sharing -- I love to learn new things!

Ann said...

I've never seen nor heard of these before. They're an amazing color. I would love to see them when they are glowing green

Anonymous said...

Hi Ginny, i have never picked wild mushrooms and likely will never do so in the future. Only highly trained people who know exactly which mushrooms are edible should pick wild mushrooms. Have a super nice Friday tomorrow. Excellent pictures, by the way! : )

Shanda said...

Someone in Thailand told me how you can tell if mushrooms are poisonous (before you eat them) but I forgot. Guess that didn't do me much good!!

S. Etole said...

You share the most interesting things. I've never heard of these.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

T've never seen these mushrooms before. They do look pretty! I would never chance eating any wild mushroom even though I like mushrooms very much.

Rose said...

They are pretty...they remind me of 'chicken' mushrooms which are edible also. Chicken mushrooms are polypores, and do not have gills...they actually tear like a chicken breast and when fried slowly have a chicken flavor.

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

They are pretty mushrooms...we can only look at them.

Chatty Crone said...

why am I always seeing tings as gifts from God. First of all I have never seen these before. But the bright color as a warning and how they illuminate at night - who can do that but HIM? Sandie

The Big Cow - Easter 2024

 The Big Cow is all dressed up and ready for Easter. And he has brought along some of his friends as well!