How did this root maggot fly die? The insect was infected with a fungus in the order Entomophthorales, which caused it to grip tightly in a position above the ground (on a blade of grass in this case) and die with its wings extended so that they would not impede the dispersal of the fungal spores. The swollen body of the dead fly is caused by the fungus growing inside it, which will eventually break through the thinnest parts of the exoskeleton to release spores.-From the Fauna Project at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas. Photo by Val Bugh.