Some mushrooms are bioluminescent, meaning they can produce their own light and glow in the dark. They achieve this amazing effect due to luciferins, the same compounds that allow fireflies and some sea creatures to glow at night. Mushrooms use their bioluminescence, sometimes called foxfire, to attract insects that then spread mushroom spores throughout the forest, enabling the fungi to reproduce. One example of a bioluminescent mushroom is Mycena haematopus, or bleeding fairy helmet, which can be found in Europe, Asia, and North America.