Berly McCoy

Serenella then flips on her UV light and the patch of green lichen totally changes. And it suddenly glowed. Neon yellow. The lichen, one particular part of it was fluorescing. So absorbing the ultraviolet light from the flashlight and emitting visible light.

Serenella then flips on her UV light and the patch of green lichen totally changes. And it suddenly glowed. Neon yellow. The lichen, one particular part of it was fluorescing. So absorbing the ultraviolet light from the flashlight and emitting visible light.

Yeah, it was like the Las Vegas strip. Natalie Howe, an ecologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, steps forward and shoves her face into the tree bark.

Yeah, it was like the Las Vegas strip. Natalie Howe, an ecologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, steps forward and shoves her face into the tree bark.

Yeah, it was like the Las Vegas strip. Natalie Howe, an ecologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, steps forward and shoves her face into the tree bark.

She sounds so excited. So we take a UV light and get up close to that tree to look. And pretty soon, Serenella shouts. Oh, Natalie.

She sounds so excited. So we take a UV light and get up close to that tree to look. And pretty soon, Serenella shouts. Oh, Natalie.

She sounds so excited. So we take a UV light and get up close to that tree to look. And pretty soon, Serenella shouts. Oh, Natalie.

Yeah, okay. So the yellow lichen is called red. Pyxene subscenaria, and the orange lichen is Pyxene syridiata, and both have chemicals in their tissues which allow them to fluoresce. Okay, but like why? Natalie explained to me that lichen fluoresce as a protective response against ultraviolet light damage from the sun.

Yeah, okay. So the yellow lichen is called red. Pyxene subscenaria, and the orange lichen is Pyxene syridiata, and both have chemicals in their tissues which allow them to fluoresce. Okay, but like why? Natalie explained to me that lichen fluoresce as a protective response against ultraviolet light damage from the sun.

Yeah, okay. So the yellow lichen is called red. Pyxene subscenaria, and the orange lichen is Pyxene syridiata, and both have chemicals in their tissues which allow them to fluoresce. Okay, but like why? Natalie explained to me that lichen fluoresce as a protective response against ultraviolet light damage from the sun.

Yep. So the group starts to branch out at this point away from the lichen depot, drifting into pockets of the forest, swinging their UV lights and headlamps up trees. Everyone's kind of getting into it now. And they're breaking up books to try to identify what they see. And suddenly it just feels weird to step on anything. Because, like, everything is alive. Yeah, except where there's trash. Oh.

Yep. So the group starts to branch out at this point away from the lichen depot, drifting into pockets of the forest, swinging their UV lights and headlamps up trees. Everyone's kind of getting into it now. And they're breaking up books to try to identify what they see. And suddenly it just feels weird to step on anything. Because, like, everything is alive. Yeah, except where there's trash. Oh.

Yep. So the group starts to branch out at this point away from the lichen depot, drifting into pockets of the forest, swinging their UV lights and headlamps up trees. Everyone's kind of getting into it now. And they're breaking up books to try to identify what they see. And suddenly it just feels weird to step on anything. Because, like, everything is alive. Yeah, except where there's trash. Oh.

Well, there was this gigantic piece of fabric that one of the naturalists had hung up and lit with mercury vapor lamps. So those are lamps that emit this very broad spectrum of light and attracted all these different kinds of moths just like clinging to the fabric.

Well, there was this gigantic piece of fabric that one of the naturalists had hung up and lit with mercury vapor lamps. So those are lamps that emit this very broad spectrum of light and attracted all these different kinds of moths just like clinging to the fabric.

Well, there was this gigantic piece of fabric that one of the naturalists had hung up and lit with mercury vapor lamps. So those are lamps that emit this very broad spectrum of light and attracted all these different kinds of moths just like clinging to the fabric.

Yeah, this moth, along with all moths, use the moon and stars to navigate, so lamps are a good way to draw them out of the shadows. Then, Matt Felperin, a roving naturalist with Nova Parks, the regional park system of Northern Virginia, makes an announcement that he will be, quote, doing owl calls intermittently. Okay.

Yeah, this moth, along with all moths, use the moon and stars to navigate, so lamps are a good way to draw them out of the shadows. Then, Matt Felperin, a roving naturalist with Nova Parks, the regional park system of Northern Virginia, makes an announcement that he will be, quote, doing owl calls intermittently. Okay.

Yeah, this moth, along with all moths, use the moon and stars to navigate, so lamps are a good way to draw them out of the shadows. Then, Matt Felperin, a roving naturalist with Nova Parks, the regional park system of Northern Virginia, makes an announcement that he will be, quote, doing owl calls intermittently. Okay.