MUSHROOMS THAT GLOW IN THE DARK

(No, they're not radioactive)

Of all the wild and wonderful things to find in a forest, mushrooms are some of the most bizarre. They sprout up in the dankest, most unforgiving places. They "bleed," poison, and take just about any shape and color. One of their quirkiest qualities, though, is bioluminescence. Amazingly, more than 70 fungal species can glow in the dark. Certain mushrooms glow thanks to a chemical reaction between luciferin and molecular oxygen. It's the same bewildering trick fireflies use to illuminate their backsides on summer nights—and it's used for basically the same purpose in both cases. Whereas fireflies light up to attract mates, mushrooms light up to attract insects that will help them spread their spores. In the mushroom world, the phenomenon is called foxfire, and it occurs mostly amid fungi growing on decaying wood.

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