Daile Zhang, University of North Dakota – Lightning Strikes Make Collecting Parasitic Fungus A Deadly Pursuit

What do lightning storms on a remote mountain plateau have to do with fungus?

Daile Zhang, assistant professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of North Dakota, explores the connection.

Daile Zhang is an Assistant Professor at University of North Dakota. Her research focuses on atmospheric electricity and remote sensing. Daile received her PhD degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Arizona and was an Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Maryland.

Lightning Strikes Make Collecting Parasitic Fungus A Deadly Pursuit

Imagine a fungus worth an astounding $63,000 per pound. It is so valuable that people risk their lives to collect and sell. Sound unbelievable? This is happening on the remote Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. This isn’t just any mushroom. Known as caterpillar fungus, it has a bizarre life cycle – the fungus infects caterpillars, consumes them from the inside, and then sprouts like grass from their heads. But here’s where the story takes a darker turn.

Every year, local villagers climb dangerous mountain slopes to collect this precious fungus, but they’re doing so at the worst possible time – peak lightning season. In the past decade, lightning strikes have claimed at least 31 lives and injured another 58 during these harvests. And that’s not all. Villagers also face severe weather, wild animals, and remote terrain with little access to help if something goes wrong. So why take such risks? The answer lies in poverty. In this remote region, there simply aren’t many ways to make a living.

For many villagers, it’s either risk their lives harvesting the fungus or face severe hardship. But there’s another issue. The intense harvesting is damaging the delicate mountain ecosystem. Scientists warn that the fungus could disappear in the coming decades. While there are efforts to farm the fungus and regulate its collection, the real solution is addressing the poverty that drives this dangerous practice. This isn’t just about a valuable fungus – it’s about finding new ways to help these communities thrive without putting their lives on the line. Better infrastructure, education, and new economic opportunities could transform this story from one of desperate risk-taking to one of sustainable progress.