Beginning - Easy to perform; requires no experience in microbiology.

For a class of 30. Introduce your students to the ghostly phenomenon of fungal bioluminescence. Dubbed foxfire by hunters in the Appalachian Mountains, the fungus, Armillariella mellea, emits a low-level bioluminescence. The phenomenon can be observed 1 to 2 weeks after subculturing and will last about 8 weeks.

A completely dark room is needed to allow the observer’s pupils to contract enough (about 5 min) to observe the low-level light. Includes a plate culture of Armillariella mellea, 10 plates bread crumb agar, a sterile disposable scalpel, an autoclave disposal bag, and culturing instructions.