Thanks for the flies

The other day, I flushed an amber-coloured flying insect from the ground, one I knew I'd never seen in my garden before.

It was kind of like a fly but was big. Really big. Its body was long, thin pointed and yellow-and-black, and it was rather on the leggy side, too.

What was also clear was that it was carrying something. And that something turned out to also be a fly .A greenbottle. It helps give scale to the big fly!

And you can see that the greenbottle had actually been skewered by the big fly. What we're looking at is a Hornet Robberfly, which specialises in catching and eating (or, rather, drinking) flies.

I realise it is all rather macabre, but let's first say that Hornet Robberflies don't bite humans. Phew!

But it did get me thinking about flies in general. Cue cries of 'Eeurrghhh', 'Yak', and general wrinkling of noses. But we'd be pretty stuffed without them.

Yes, there are some that do things we don't like, such as landing on our food if we leave it uncovered, or biting us if we leave ourselves uncovered.

But I dread to think how deep in dung and carrion we'd be without flies. And then there are those that pollinate. And those that eat aphids. And those whose larvae feed my Frogs and Newts.

Without flies you wouldn't have Spotted Flycatchers and a whole host of other birds, including surprising ones such as all the gorgeous wading birds that feed on them on their summer breeding grounds.

So, flies are a big and essential part of the big natural picture, and in a garden where nature has been allowed to find its own balance, they are rarely a problem.

So, let's take a moment to give thanks for flies, and enjoy some of the gorgeous species that I've featured on the blog over the years, starting with the Batman Hoverfly and finishing with one of the semaphoring picture-winged flies.

But you'll be pleased to know, if you're having your breakfast, there are no more pictures of Hornet Robberflies having their breakfast.