A Zombie (Fly) Movie
—Henry Myers, Associate Director of Forest Education
Coming to your garden this summer…
Halloween may be a ways off, but I have a zombie story for you. And this is a true story!
THE CAST
Zombie....................................................................Common Green Bottle Fly
Vector.......................................................................Entomophthora muscae
Shocked Gardener / Nature Lover............………….You!
It’s summer. The garden is in full swing. You stop at the Black-Eyed Susans to appreciate all your hard work when you notice something hanging on to the underside of a petal. You slowly and dramatically turn the leaf over (this is a zombie story, after all). What you see at first confuses you––it looks horrifying, yet oddly familiar. You can make out wings, then legs...gasp! It’s a zombie fly!
WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST
Common Green Bottle Fly (The Zombie): A very common fly found throughout most of the world. They are a beautiful (yes, beautiful) metallic green. You have definitely seen these guys around. Interesting fact: Common Green Bottle Fly larvae are used by forensic entomologists to help determine time of death and rate of decomposition (kinda fits with the zombie theme).
Entomophthora muscae (The Vector): This pathogenic fungus is responsible for turning flies into zombies! It’s an unfortunate (for the fly) part of the fungus’s complex life cycle. Here’s how it works: a spore lands on a fly. Once on the fly the spore geminates, then penetrates the fly’s exoskeleton. Once inside, the fungus feeds on the fat and guts of the fly. After about five days, the fungus takes control of the fly’s brain. This is where it gets weird––or maybe weirder. The fungus makes the fly climb to a high point: in my case, the underside of a Black-Eyed Susan petal. Then the fly’s mouth opens, and out comes a sticky substance gluing the fly in place. Next, the wings and legs spread open (this ensures the spores will be widely dispersed), and finally the fungus pushes out between the body segments of the fly and rains spores down on, hopefully, more flies.
Shocked Gardener / Nature Lover (YOU) is beyond excited to get out in the garden and on the trails this summer. Loves to explore and is a valued supporter of The Friend of Rye Nature Center!
