Phoney Fungus Flowers

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As bees go about their business of gathering nectar, they also pollinate the flower, making possible the next generation of flowers. Now there is a certain crafty fungus that doesn't have flowers, nectar or pollen but makes use of the bees to reproduce itself.

This is the fungus that causes the mummy-berry disease among blueberries. As soon as a plant becomes infected with the fungus, the leaves wilt. Amazingly, the fungus then causes the leaves to ooze a nectar-like substance, send out a perfume and reflect light in the ultra-violet range. To a bee, these are three unmistakable signs of a good flower.

The bees collect what they think is nectar from the diseased plant and sooner or later transfer the fungus to a healthy plant. Blueberry flowers which have been infected produce white seedless and tasteless mummy-berries which are full of fungus.

Did this fungus invent this plan to mimic the flower and fool the bee to reproduce itself? If so, it had to get everything right first time. I think that once again this teaches us that our Creator planned these relationships from the beginning. If good for nothing else, this example of the mummy-berry fungus teaches us that the creation could not have made itself - this is the work of the Creator God who made everything!