Karen Wils photo Yooperlites are the trendiest rock for rockhounds in the U.P. They glow under a blacklight.

Karen Rose Wils

ESCANABA — There’s an eerie glow in the northern U.P.

When the Bays de Noc are napping and when the Superior shoreline is asleep, some plants, crayfish, fossils and rocks phosphoresce.

Orange, green, white and red shades put on a show if you use the right kind of light. There are ultraviolet, short-wave lights and long wave flashlights that can make magic in the natural world.

Yooper rock treasure hunts lure rockhounds and adventurers out on starry nights. It’s a very trendy thing right now. So popular that they are now officially called Yooperlites and you can even buy them online.

When I was kid Yooperlites were unheard of. Searching for Petoskey stones was the biggest thrill for Michigan rock collectors.

All of that changed in 2017 when Erik Rintamaki discovered rocks that contain sodalite a fluorescent mineral that glows bright orange when a black light shines on them. By day these rocks are plain grey stones but under the black light in the nighttime, they put on a speckled glowing show.

And so began the Yooper rock craze. Hundreds of people gear up with nanometers and black lights, boots, wading shoes and warm clothes, they head to the shores of Lake Superior to hunt down rocks that glow as if they are red hot.

Collecting and displaying Yooperlites is a big thing now. What could be a better way to get outdoors into the pristine and peaceful twilight?

There is a special beauty in the dark moonlit Upper Michigan sky. Getting away from the fugitive lights of civilization and star gazing and rock hunting is a precious time well spent.

The phosphorescent glows in nature are important to many kinds of wildlife.

The U.P never ceases to amaze me. I have been watching Mother Nature at her finest for over sixty years and there is always something “new” to see and something “new” to learn.

I learned much about Yooperlites form my cousin, Gerry Collegnon. He has been collecting rocks longer than I have and he knows the name and history of each one.

He talks about prehistoric times and glaciers, fossils and gems stones just like ancient relatives. Thanks to Gerry’s help, I got to photograph glowing Yooperlites.

So, if you are tired of hunting for Petoskey stones, mushrooms, deer sheds and wild asparagus, try looking for a Yooperlites.

Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.