Living Light

The Atlantic coast of Newfoundland for a time turns almost entirely white - and unlike the snow that does it for most of the year, this is in summer. The dandelion is so prolific that they cause literal storms of petals, accumulating on roadsides in large tumbling masses that dance in the wind. It also offers a perfect place to take in the full moon, given it has some of the darkest skies on earth. These two seem to be enjoying the matinee.

The Eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) is a small, nocturnal marsupial endemic to Tasmania, similar in size to a cat. Under pure UV light, they exhibit a processed called biofluorescence, a novel discovery where light is captured and re-emitted as different, often garish patterns. This is believed to be the first image series of the species fluorescing in-situ.

Omphalotus nidiformis, an otherwise totally normal fungi cosmopolitan to Australia’s subtropical and temperate climes, shares a secret only a few handful of terrestrial species have mastered – they can conjure light. On a particularly lucky night, you might even see one of these phantasms hiding under the rising jewel of our night sky, the Milky Way’s galactic centre.