This little speck of life is the Noon Fly(Mesembrina meridiana). Some references call it the Mid-day Fly. Its common enough and seems to get its name from the fact that it is seen in the sunshine at the height of the day. If you take even a passing interest in flies you'll have probably noticed it. This one's a male I think - its eyes almost meet on the top of its head.Inspired by Phil Gates' fantastic blog Beyond the Human Eye I decided to take a closer look at one I saw on hawthorn blossom the other day. Books and i/d websites only point out the coloured tops of the wings but for me, the stunning metallic gold, angular head markings against the matt black eyes were a wonderful surprise. Click on the bottom photo to enlarge it. Fly bling!
Rather like the St Mark's Fly of my earlier post, hard facts about the noon-fly are not easy to establish. Most web references say that the larvae are dung feeders. Great -prevents us from becoming knee-deep in cow pats. However, dig further (metaphorically) and others say the larvae are carnivorous and eat the larvae of other flies - that do eat dung. So take your pick. Any fly experts out there?
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