Phoney Fungus Flowers

Luke 12:25-26
“And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?”

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 ultraviolet 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 the 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 our Creator God who made everything!

Prayer:
Dear Lord, if You have given such great gifts even to a fungus, how much more do You offer me! You have told us in Your Word, “You don’t have because you do not ask.” I ask first of all for understanding that I may know what You would have me ask, and then for a bold faith so that I will ask. Amen.

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