Did you know 1000+ species of fly were described in 2025?? What a year! #Diptera #FliesAreCool

One of the best parts of loving Diptera is that even the big cool ones often remain unsorted because they're just *that* diverse!! #LoveFlies #FliesAreCool

A collection of midges on a guardrail

A male chironomid with plumose antennae

A photo of a canopy of trees with flies dotting the foreground

As it gets warmer you may have started seeing some swarming midges (and other flies!). Often these swarms are basically airborne orgies, so sit back and enjoy the show and these beautiful flies 🪰🔥 #flies #diptera #FliesAreCool

Check out that Cutie Fly, who garners real life inspo from the marvelous Bee fly!! ✨ The cutest pollinators have 2 wings. #Diptera #FliesAreCool

macro photo looking down on a brown-orange fly with red eyes on a white wall. Her wings have a black border on lower half of out wing and a central black marking. She is situated facing up at an angle facing just to the left of center.

macro photo of a brown-orange fly with red eyes. the view is in profile. her wings have a black border along the outer edge and an irregular black spot in the center. she is facing left.

So...these exist!! And they are called FLUTTER FLIES

Possibly the best common name in flydom!

Genus Toxonevra - best deduction is this Ms. is T. jucunda based on boreal location.

A "whopping" 1 record on BugGude for this genus & 3 on iNat.

#FliesAreCool #inverts #becurious

Anastoechus sp, bee flies sitting in the rain

A bee fly sitting in a hand

A bee fly on a woman's nose

Lordotus sp. Sitting on a creosote bush

Happy World Bee Fly Day! I'll take any chance to show off these cuties we found hiding out in the Creosote during a rain storm at Beaver Dam Wash in UT! Lordotus and lots of Anastoechus (iirc). #FlyWeek #Fliesarecool #WorldBeeFlyDay

An image with 7 different flies showing some diversity, with the text "Did you know? For every person on earth there are an estimated 17,000,000 flies!" Above a human icon.

Did you know? For every person on earth there are an estimated 17 MILLION flies!
That makes this Fly Fan feel fantastic! #FlyWeek #Diptera #FliesAreCool

An image showing images of someone swiping their net through smoke, and 2 flat-footed flies in the genus Microsania, with one having a cigarette in it's mouth, with text that says "Flat-footed flies in the genus Microsania are attracted to smoke!" (figure from Michal Tkoc et al. 2020)

Did you know some flies are attracted to smoke? If you love flies and you haven't swiped a net through campfire smoke, we really recommend it! #FlyWeek #FliesAreCool

macro photo of a 1/2" fly who looks spot on like a bumble bee - except - she had large forward facing eyes and short antennae. she is clinging to the stamens of a st. john's wort flower eating pollen.

Made you look!

Starring in today's edition of #MimicMonday is the Orange-legged Drone Fly (Eristalis flavipes).

Yup. She's sporting only one set of wings!

Adults pollinate as they chow down on pollen, larvae are filter feeders improving water/soils. #FliesAreCool #inverts #becurious

macro photo of a chonky, metallic, fuzzy fly. they are in profile facing left on a green leaf. they are bronze, green, blue-green and sapphire blue. they do have a small head, which is ALL eyes.

Blue! It's right there in the name!

Eulonchus sapphirinus Small-headed Fly.

#BlueMonday #BlueBug #becurious #FliesAreCool

macro photo looking down on a fly with shining golden hairs. she is standing on dark soil with a few leaves and small pine needles.

File under #FliesAreCool!

Ms. Genus Chrysopilus Snipe Fly is all golden goodness!

#FromTheArchives #inverts #becurious

4 up collage of macro photos of black flies. upper left close up of robber fly in 3/4 profile facing right. uper right close up of black horse fly in profile facing left. bottom left black fly with black spotted pattern on wings and dark gold bands on abdomen in profile on a green leaf facing right. lower right looking down on black fly with black geometric patterns on wings sitting on a green hydrangea flower

#BlackFlyDay you say?

Got that covered because #FliesAreCool!

T-B; L-R: Robber fly, Genus Tabanus Horse Fly, Genus Thereva Stilletto Fly & Genus Hemipenthes Bee Fly

#inverts #becurious

Yes. Yes there are.

Thick-headed fly (Conopidae)

#inverts #becurious #FliesAreCool

If you thought there wasn't a Small-headed Fly to balance out the Big-headed Fly - think again!

(Eulonchus sapphirinus)

#inverts #becurious #FliesAreCool 🌿

macro photo of a female crane fly hanging from an arched head of a large grass species. her body forms a cross shape.

Yesterday I said Crane Flies can be quite elegant sometimes - here's proof!

#Invertebrates #FliesAreCool #becurious

macro photo extreme close up of crane fly head and beginning of abdomen. they are in profile. their compound eye refracts purple, bronze and green.

Crane Fly's utterly amazing eye makes up for all their gawkwardness!

#InverteFest #becurious #FliesAreCool

macro photo looking down on a crane fly resting on a blue wooden deck. their legs are all askew (though they do have all 6 - rare!)

Crane flies do sometimes look quite elegant.

This is not one of those times.

#InverteFest #becurious #FliesAreCool

macro photo of a bee fly in profile. they are standing on a small, green leaf. they have a bubble of nectar at the end of their proboscis.

Geron Bee Fly bubbling (concentrating nectar)

#FliesAreCool #Invertebrates #becurious

macro photo of a robber fly standing on a small branch. they are in 3/4 profile facing right. their large eyes look like sunglasses and they have a nifty golden moustache

You may be cool, but you will never be Robber Fly cool.

#FliesAreCool #invertebrates #becurious

Hanging with Ry the Fly Guy before he leaves us for Ireland, introduced me to Empis tessalata - a Dance Fly & awesome predator #fliesarecool