After a summer rain, magical and enchanting green lights bloom at night in Kenting. The owner of a bed and breakfast in Manzhou has successfully re-cultivated fluorescent, glowing mushrooms.
Green Glowing Mushrooms Illuminate Summer Nights at Sheding Nature Park in Kenting National Park; A Magical Natural Phenomenon Shines Like Enchanted Lights in the Forest After Rainy Nights. This captivating scene of the ‘Enchanted Glow Forest’ has become a summer-exclusive night tour attraction in Kenting.
In the same national park area, Zhou Wenxian, an innkeeper from Manzhou Township, decided to rejuvenate a bamboo grove at the rear of his property three years ago. After two years of no activity, the mushrooms recently burst into green light after the rain, astonishing onlookers as if they’ve stepped into a fantastical world reminiscent of Avatar.
Tsai Zhengrong 蔡正榮, the Executive Director of the Kenting Sheding Tribal Cultural Development and Promotion Association, explained that fluorescent mushrooms, also known as glow mushrooms or night light fungi, belong to the Mycenaceae family.
They are found in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Java, and Hong Kong, primarily in low-altitude forest areas during the spring and summer seasons. There are nine recorded species in Taiwan. The luminescence is generally believed to aid in spore dispersal, attracting nocturnal animals or insects to feed on them.
Through ingestion, the spores are carried away in their excrement, spreading to distant places, or they can attach to the animals’ bodies and be transported afar. In Taiwan, they are often referred to as “night elves, 夜精靈”
He mentioned that the academic community believes the luminescence mechanism of fluorescent mushrooms to be the same as that of fireflies. It involves the chemical reaction of luciferin, luciferase, and oxygen within the mushroom’s body to produce light.
They also serve as environmental indicator species and require a growth environment that is humid and pollution-free. The conditions for their growth are stringent.
Due to the protected environment of the Kenting Sheding Natural Park, it is one of the few areas in Taiwan where they can be observed. After summer rains, the fluorescent mushrooms in the bamboo forest of Sheding burst into vibrant display. They appear brown during the daytime and emit a faint green light after the rain at night. However, they are not suitable for consumption.
“Captivating Beauty!” Zhou Wenxian, the owner of a homestay called Zhu’an Village 竹安莊 in Yongjing Village, Manzhou Township, said that many years ago, he was deeply moved by the beauty of fluorescent mushrooms.
Upon researching, he discovered that they grow on dead bamboo wood and are very selective about their environment. They are challenging to spot if the environment is polluted or disturbed by human activities. They are considered an indicator species of environmental quality. To test his own environment, three years ago, he attempted to introduce mushroom mycelium for cultivation in the bamboo forest behind his place.
There was no sign of progress for the first two years. Recently, after the rain, the fluorescent mushrooms burst into green light. Even though their lifespan is only three days, it’s already enough to excite people. He hopes to see them “blossom everywhere” within the national park.
Zhu’an Village Homestay in Yongjing, Manzhou Township