Bioluminescent Mushrooms

Tmethyl. Glowing Mushrooms. 2014. Http://imgur.com/gallery/skwOPqR, Internet.Imgur. Web. 28 Feb. 2015.

Hey guys, so for this post, I am going to be talking about bioluminescent Fungi. So, for starters, what is does it mean? Bioluminescence is the ability for a living organism to produce light. that's pretty cool, right?! How does it work though? Well the short answer is chemistry.  In some fungi, and some organisms, they have a light-emitting pigment called luciferin. luciferin is then broken down by the enzyme luciferase, assisted by oxygen. The chemical reaction gives off energy in the form of light. This occurs when the electron are sent to an outer energy level. When they return to their original one, energy is released.

There are about 50-70 different species of bioluminescent mushrooms, and all are in the order of Agaricales. Most are in Europe, Asia, And South America. There are a few in the U.S, However. Panellus pusillus is found in the North Americas, as well as Asia, Europe, and South America. I will most likely make a second part of this post, maybe even go hunting for some myself! Check in next week for another post, thank you for reading!

Panellus Pusillus

Disclaimer: I did not take, nor do I own any of the pictures in this article.

DIY Terrariums

Supplies

     Hey, so for this post I'm going to be talking about Terrariums. Terrariums are small ecosystems, put inside a container. They are fun to make, small enough to keep on a window sill (usually), and are very easy to take care of.  The way I think of it, terrariums are basically little greenhouses. You might even want to start somethings from seed,and then transfer them to your garden once they are big enough. I have never tried this,but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
     To make a terrarium, you are going to want to get these things. Gravel, charcoal, Compost, plants, and a container of some sort. the jar I used for this one was one my aunt got at a yard sale for 50 cents. You are then going to fill the container with the gravel, then charcoal,and then compost. all three should only take about one third of the container. the compost should be about half of that. Then you are going to want to plant your plants.

      Some good plants for terrariums are ground covers, as they don't get too tall. Moss is excellent. usually you want slow-growing plants, because it will take them longer to out grow the container, if they do. For this terrarium, I used bulbs that were growing in my yard. I used some Crocus bulbs for the outside, and one Campanula bulb, or a bell-flower, for the center. I will post an update in a month or so. I had more pictures,but they cluttered the page, so I took some off. Anyways, thanks for reading, and good luck!

Quick update: The reason you put gravel at the bottom is for drainage so the plants roots don't rot, and to prevent mold from growing. Charcoal is used to pick up odors, toxins,and things in the water that can hurt your plants.

End result

End result

Plants and Mycology Intro

Hey there! In this blog I'm going to be talking about,well, plants and mycology.  I'm going to try and give some tips on projects,and just let you guys know What I've been up to plant/fungi wise.  I will try and post at least once a week.

 the next set of pictures is of a terrarium I started about a month or so ago. I put in a strawberry runner, a cutting of a type of Sedum, and of course, moss.  A strawberry is probably not the best candidate for a terrarium, because they grow so fast and have largish leaves,but you gotta work with what ya got,and it is super cute.  I will probably do a whole post just on terrariums in general in the next week.  The Succulent I used was a little big,and I probably should have used a smaller variety,but I didn't have one available.  This whole terrarium cost me about 5 dollars to do, as all I had to get was the jar. all the plants and this terrarium are doing really well.  Two of the three leaves on the Strawberry are completely new growth since the terrarium was first planted.  the Sedum has rooted, and grown tremendously

 This next set of pictures is of a terrarium I started a couple weeks later,and has just some English Ivy cuttings, and moss. one of the ivy cuttings already has two leaf buds on it, which is a good sign!





Alright I hope you liked this post, and have a good rest of the week!