Summit Disease...revisited

[Ken Ramos]

When I downloaded and saw what I had captured, I immediately thought of Beetlemans (Dougs) previous post of the fly that had been consumed by fungal growth. Having climbed to the highest part of this weed, as the last bit of life from its withering body is drained by the ravaging fungi, its little head is held aloft in the agonnizing throws of death. All that now remains is the putrid flesh, hardened by the fiberous mass of fungal hyphae that now courses through the caterpillars body. A stark epitaph to a life cut short by having succumbed to Summit Diesease.



EOS 350D
1/200 sec. @ f/16 ISO 100
Canon 430EX Speedlite
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro

Quite evidient is the mass of fungal hyphae traversing the caterpillars body. Not the numerous cavities along the caterpillars body that have resulted or have been brought about by the infection.

[beetleman]

Ken, that is such an amazing account of this poor insects demise, I was almost crying (I can feel intense pain). Do you think the fungus has devised a form of mind control that makes the creature head to higher ground, I mean this guy was not just lying on the branch, he was stretching very far out You should be a SiFi writer...amazing picture Ken

[Ken Ramos]

Mind contol You know I cannot help but to think that the fungi has some influence over the behavior of the host up to the point of death. Sort of like some one under the influence of LSD or some other mind altering chemical. Some fungi do have mind altering or behavior altering properties i.e. "Magic Mushroom," Stropharia semiglobata or Dung Psilocybe. Folks who grew up in the late 60's and early 70's will probably remember this fungi being brought up in conversation, an LSD alternative, though it can be quite deadly.

[MacroLuv]

Maybe fungi makes a kind of psychedelic effect, so this guy was in ecstasy.

[salden]

I am too sensitive for this . I always feel like I just lost my best friend. Good capture and what a story.

[Ken Ramos]

There, there...Sue, Doug. It's going to be okay (sniff). The little caterpillar is now gone to where all good caterpillars go. You know I was looking at the cavities in the body of the little guy, I am beginning to wonder if these are not areas of sporulation.