DEFINITIONS:
Any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera. True flies are generally described by two words, such as: Syrphid Fly, Soldier Fly, Robber Fly and Bluebottle Fly. These are not to be confused with other insects that have "fly" in their name, such as: Butterfly, Dragonfly, Snakefly and Firefly. There are, however, true flies that do not contain "fly" in their name, such as: Mosquitoes, Gnats and Midges.
Many flies are wonderful mimics of bees and wasps, both in physical appearance and behavior. For example: Syrphid Fly mimics resemble Yellowjackets, bees and wasps; some Robber Flies look very much like Bumblebees, and a whole family of flies are called Bee Flies, because so many actually resemble bees. Flies, however, have only one pair of wings, while bees and wasps have two pair - in flies, the second pair of wings have evolutionarily transformed into gyroscopic stabilizers, knobby organs called halteres, that assist in flight. Also, on flies you will see larger, more conspicuous eyes than on bees and wasps, and flies' antenna are short, as compared to the longer, more pronounced antenna of bees and wasps. From what I've see, however, these mimics (and other flies as well) have a major commonality with their bee and wasp relatives; they're great pollinators.
PURPOSE:
This backyard Fly ID gallery has been created to assist visitors with answering that age old question, "What's that fly?" Currently, the fly identification is specific to those in Douglas County, Elkton, Oregon - basically, everything that shows up in and around my yard. These flies are, however, found in many other parts of the U.S., therefore the images should help in identification of flies outside this area, as well. Please note: as in every yard, there are a myriad different creatures to be found, and I've barely scratched the surface - I seem to be discovering new ones almost every day. Rest assured, as I find, photograph and identify new flies, they will be added to the gallery.
PHOTOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS, DATES AND CAMERA SETTINGS:
- Unless otherwise noted, all Fly images were taken in Northern Douglas County, in and around Elkton, Oregon.
- The date each photograph was taken appears under each thumbnail image.
- Camera settings for each image are presented on the enlargement page for that image. To view an enlargement, click the thumbnail image you wish to see enlarged.
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04/10/08 |
04/10/08 |
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07/16/08 |
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07/10/08 |
07/10/08 |
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08/08/08 |
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08/21/08 |
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10/08/08 |
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08/07/08 |
08/07/08 |
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08/07/08 |
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09/28/08 |
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09/30/08 |
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08/28/08 |
08/28/08 |
04/13/08 |
07/23/08 |
07/23/08 |
06/27/08 |
09/09/08 |
07/27/08 |
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08/01/08 |
08/01/08 |
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07/19/08 |
09/02/08 |
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07/28/08 |
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07/31/08 |
07/14/08 |
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06/26/08 |
06/26/08 |
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08/07/08 |
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09/19/08 |
09/19/08 |
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Crane Flies are very difficult to identify beyond the family designation. It takes an expert to recognize the subtle differences in wing venation. I was lucky enough to have expert help in identifying the specimens below.
05/05/07 |
07/10/08 |
05/12/08 |
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07/18/08 |
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07/14/08 |
07/01/08 |
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From the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, this Crane Fly is over 2 inches long, and its wingspan can reach almost 3 inches. I'm glad mosquitoes don't grow that big.
09/09/08 |
09/09/08 |
05/24/08 |
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05/10/08 |
05/10/08 |
05/10/08 |
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04/10/08 |
04/10/08 |
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10/08/08 |
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09/30/08 |
08/19/08 |
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07/15/08 |
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09/03/08 |
09/03/08 |
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08/02/08 |
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07/27/08 |
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07/07/08 |
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10/01/08 |
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07/26/08 |
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08/02/08 |
07/27/08 |
07/15/08 |
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09/17/08 |
09/03/08 |
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07/24/08 |
08/22/08 |
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07/01/08 |
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09/27/08 |
10/08/08 |
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06/08/08 |
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10/01/08 |
10/01/08 |
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07/04/08 |
07/04/08 |
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08/25/08 |
08/25/08 |
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08/13/08 |
08/23/08 |
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07/16/08 |
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09/12/08 |
Number of visitors to Flies since 03/06/08
Please note that due to the nature of the beast, Where Art Meets the Heart will evolve over time. Check back periodically to see what's new.
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