There are threads for spiders and wasps - what about flies ?

[gentlegreen]

I don't want to be a n00b on a specialist FB group ... I already joined one for ants, bees and wasps ...

I think it may be a Twin-spot Centurion - Sargus bipunctatus -a kind of soldier fly .. though I apparently really needed to get a head-on view for confirmation .
I'd noticed swarms of large flies in the air yesterday ...

Hopefully one day I will learn to do macros - also it was windy ...

Stratiomyidae - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Twin-spot Centurion | NatureSpot

www.naturespot.org.uk

 

[frogwoman]

Good idea someone needs to represent our dipteran pals

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I look forward to moochedit's take on this.

 

[WouldBe]

I prefer buttons to zips.

 

[gentlegreen]

Lots of ground-living bees in the park
I think this is a
Tawny Mining Bee Andrena fulva

 

[gentlegreen]

I'm amazed how they manage to dig their holes and actually survive in the trampled ground alongside the paths on the park.

 

[Epona]

I agree that it is a tawny mining bee (or at least a mining bee of some sort, I am no expert when it comes to bee ID) but you have broken your own rules, it is not a fly - don't we have a thread for bees?



Great photo anyway!

 

[gentlegreen]

I agree that it is a tawny mining bee (or at least a mining bee of some sort, I am no expert when it comes to bee ID) but you have broken your own rules, it is not a fly - don't we have a thread for bees?



Great photo anyway!

I was actually looking for a similar-looking long nosed bee fly... I'd seen one flying around there a few days previously . I only managed to get a photo of this bee because it was poorly

Blimey I now know what the bee fly would have been up to...

Meet the bee-fly: the cute bee mimic with a dark side

These flies look like bees and help pollinate flowers, but do not bite or sting. A gruesome parasitic teenage stage makes them one of the most fascinating species in your local park or garden.

www.nhm.ac.uk

 

[savoloysam]

I stand with spiders. #istandwitharacnids

 

[savoloysam]

If you want to live and thrive let the spider walk alive

 

[Epona]

This thread is too specific for the insect I wanted to post about because it isn't technically a fly.

Do we need an "Other Invertebrates" thread?

Fuckit I am going to do it, the thing I found and learned about today warrants it IMO

 

[Callie]

Flies recently ...




Ok the last one is a bee but he liked hanging out with the flies

 

[Callie]

Sadly my current phone isn't as good at close ups of insects, or I just haven't worked it out yet. They're all a bit blurry if you zoom in. Pics are good for getting to grips with IDs. Also Facebook groups are really good imo for learning to ID. I learnt loads from a hoverfly one

 

[Epona]

I recommend the iNaturalist app which uses AI to narrow down identification from an image taken on your phone to a certain extent, then other users can make suggestions and help narrow it down further.

We've started using it at our environmental project to help with ID (it won't always completely do it but then other users will help further) to log finds of any species in our area, you can also look up what other users in your area have found.

Your phone should have a macro setting which might be better for small invertebrates but you have to get close and that can sometimes be tricky if something is moving or is startled by your proximity (or is sitting in a clump of nettles!)

You can also get optical lenses (a variety of different ones for different uses), which clip over the camera on your phone and cos they are optical give a much much clearer image than most digital zoom/macro modes - they aren't expensive either, and will help you get much better wildlife photos on your phone.

 

[Callie]

I have some clip on lenses but find them a bit pants. They were cheap though. I quite enjoy the off the cuff grabbing pics of interesting stuff rather than going on a photography specific adventure.

All the ladies above were spotted on my lunch break either on those ? euphorbia flowers or supping up nectar and sun from a drippy tree. Very in the moment. There were alsol loads of inverts going bonkers on Holly flowers

 

[gentlegreen]

I rescued a "bee" from the lake and it turned out to be a fly...

 

[gentlegreen]

I can't actually find the bee thread ...

Another rescue - doesn't look hopeful - perhaps I need to carry syrup with me ...

 

[gentlegreen]

My angelica has the full complement today - bees, wasps and flies.

View attachment zoo.mp4