Frank Deschandol's Image

When Frank spotted this bizarre-looking weevil one night, he knew it would still be there in the morning. Though clinging to a fern stem, the beetle was dead. It had been infected and killed by a parasitic fungus. The next day, Frank isolated the colourful stalks of the fungus against a soft background, savouring the symmetry of the composition.

Many fungi are known to infect insects such as ants and beetles. In some cases the fungus releases chemicals that affect the host’s behaviour. The fungus uses this to its advantage. It might influence its host to climb high up on a branch so that when it dies and millions of spores are released, the fungus has a greater chance of spreading and infecting more hosts.