A Blue Fly Like No Other
Posted May 1st, 2006 at 9:48 am in Nature
Things get a lot more traffic if I post them on the blog rather than leaving them “hidden” in the photo gallery.
While birding this past weekend near Sabine Pass (far southeastern Texas), I came across a fly like no other I’d ever seen.
I noticed this little guy and called over other birders to see it. Everyone thought I was crazy for pointing out an insect when so many good birds were around, until they actually saw it. A crowd gathered and “oohs” and “awes” could be heard. The fly wasn’t any more than 3 or 4 millimeters long.
Extraordinary. What a beauty. Incidentally, while you were out, I tagged you with the Most Beautiful Bird Meme. The fly can take runner-up.
Beautiful!!!!
I see you have a nice shot of a little friend of mine
I believe your ‘blue fly’ is a member of the long-legged fly family (Dolichopodidae). These little guys come in a variety of metallic colors and are beneficial to gardens and the like because they are predators of other insects.
So he’s neon blue and he’s a predator. Even cooler. I knew you’d come through for me!