Glowing mushrooms are often associated with tropical environments, but they can also be found in Switzerland. In fact, Zurich-based artists Heidy Baggenstos and Andreas Rudolf have been working with bioluminescent organisms for more than 10 years. "We want to show that these bioluminescent mushrooms are present in Swiss forests and that we do not have to travel far to find them," explains Baggenstos.

One evening, while walking through the forest in Albisrieden, a neighborhood in Zurich, the duo observed some green light through their camera. Sometimes the fungi’s bioluminescence is so weak it cannot be seen with the naked eye. “Nowadays we always have our mobile phones or a flashlight, but to see bioluminescence in the forest, it has to be pitch black,” says Rudolf.

The artists collected some samples of the glowing specimen thinking it was Mycena haematopus, a known bioluminescent species. Back in their well-lit studio, they realized it was another species, Mycena crocata, the saffron drop bonnet mushroom, known for its saffron-colored milk, which had not previously been described as bioluminescent.