Bioluminescence – Proof that Fairies Are Real

Helen and Scott Nearing went on a long walk together when they first met. They discussed many subjects. According to Helen, the subject of the existence of fairies came up. Helen questioned Scott as to whether he believed in fairies. “Of course not,” he replied, “I know they are real.” Today at Forest Farm we have maintained what we call the “Fairy Trail” through the woods. Children and their adults are invited to build fairy houses in the woods along the trail. After living in Maine for 20 years, Helen and Scott built a new house right on the coast with amazing views of Penobscot Bay. Helen insisted on locating their house by the sea, where they knew the fairies of Penobscot Bay were residing.

Last week we found them. Claire and I entertained some visitors in for Labor Day weekend. Among other activities, we enjoyed a night time exploration of the beach along Penobscot Bay. It was about 9 pm on a very dark, moonless night. That’s when we saw them. Glimmering sparkles illuminating the gentle lapping of the waves as they glided into the shore. Riding the waves, like surfers, we saw light. At first I thought the waves were reflecting the starlight at certain angles. As we all freaked out and puzzled to explain this phenomenon, we realized that the light was not a reflection of the sky. The light emanated from the sea itself. Bingo. Proof that magical sea fairies exist. The next evening, we decided to go out again in search of the fairies. This time they swam around in force. We threw rocks and made waves in order to create disturbances to encourage the fairies to light up. Before long we had removed our clothes and entered the dark water in order to stir up the light. Splashing and crashing the water created dazzling displays of light thrown in all directions. Who created this light under the sea?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABioluminescent_dinoflagellates.jpg

Bioluminescent dinoflagellates illuminating the sea in New Jersey. Photo

What we experienced, of course, was the phenomenon of bioluminescence.

Bioluminescence, according to Wikipedia, is the production and emission of light by a living organism. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms, and terrestrial invertebrates such as fireflies.

The fireflies of the sea which we encountered were bioluminescent dinoflagellates, a kind of plankton. Aside from mesmerizing us humans, the light emissions serve to confuse predators and save the plankton from becoming a meal.

How come they get to create light? Certain types of chemicals when mixed together produce energy which ‘excites’ other particles on vibration and generate light which causes the glow. The group of chemicals involved to make plankton glow are called luciferins and the light is produced by a series of oxidation reactions set off by a catalyst called luciferase. Far from devilish, the light creates proof that fairies exist. They just do not look like Tinkerbell.

Plankton consists of any microscopic drifting plant or animal (plant or animal) that inhabit the oceans. They provide a vital source of food to fish. One can find bioluminescent phytoplankton in all the world’s oceans. I first experienced them in Jamaica. Turns out they occur in Penobscot Bay just the same. Dinoflagellates, tiny unicellular Bioluminescent Planktonmarine plankton, represent the most common kind of bioluminescent plankton. When the swipe of your oar, or the crashing of the waves, of the skip of your rock creates beautiful undulations of light in the sea at night, you are most likely moving dinoflagellates.

As we discovered through our own highly advanced methods of experimentation, dinoflagellates produce light when disturbed. The flash of light lasts only a fraction of a second. Clearly, the light producers exist in the water in large quantities which caused us to deduce that they must be very small or microscopic. Indeed they occur by the millions. The flash of light is meant to attract a predator to the creature disturbing it or trying to consume the dinoflagellate.

If you wish to experience the magic of sea-light for yourself, take to the sea on the next clear, dark night, well after sundown. Paddle a kayak, swim, or splash about in the water to the disturbances that force the plankton to create bioluminescence. Dance with the fairies and partake in an ethereal piece of existence.

 

Sam Adels

About Sam Adels

Sam and his wife Claire are the resident stewards of the Good Life Center, the homestead of Helen and Scott Nearing in Harborside, Maine. They are learning from the example that Helen and Scott set with their lives: living simply, gardening, and welcoming visitors to their homestead. They are transplants, and like a seedling, they are together putting down roots in order to grow.