Photo/IllutrationThe Mycena lux-coeli glows in a forest in Tatsugo, Kagoshima Prefecture. This photo was taken with a two-minute exposure. (Makoto Hokao)

AMAMI-OSHIMA, Kagoshima Prefecture--Magic mushrooms, indeed.

The rainy season has arrived at Amami-Oshima island in southern Japan, and that means an explosion of what are known as the "fairy of the forest."

This refers to a species of fungi called Mycena lux-coeli that thrives during the rainy season when humidity is high. The tiny mushrooms are only about 2 to 3 centimeters tall and 1 to 2 cm across.

While the fungi are a brownish color during the day, they glow at night through the action of enzymes that work on luminescent materials in the organism.

The mushrooms also are found in Hachijojima island south of Tokyo, as well as in Wakayama and Oita prefectures.

The mushrooms flourish near old chinquapin trees in a nature observation forest in the town of Tatsugo on Amami-Oshima island.

They can be spotted until about August.