The most striking use for Wolbachia becomes apparent if you walk through a European apple orchard in the autumn. Among the yellow and orange leaves, you might find some with small green islands, defiantly resisting the seasonal decay. These are the work of the spotted tentiform leaf miner, a moth whose caterpillars live inside the leaves of apple trees. Almost all of them carry Wolbachia. In these insects, the microbe releases hormones that stop the leaves from yellowing and dying. They are the means by which the caterpillar holds back the autumn, to give itself enough time to become an adult.
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Wolbachia
