Some tiny gall midges with hairy wings for #Flyday.

Manitoba, Canada.

#FridayFlyDay
Robber fly (Family Asilidae) of the genus Ospriocerus. Robber flies are powerfully built predators of arthropods. They are the big cats of the insect world.

Given the concurrence of Valentine's Day and #FridayFlyDay, here's a lovebug!

Lovebugs are flies (not bugs) that form mating swarms--if you drive through one, your windshield will get plastered. They fly "hooked up" by their genitals, and so are also called honeymoon flies or double-headed bugs. They can remain attached for several days. Their larvae feed on decaying vegetation in the soil.

This is the only photo of a lovebug that I've got to share. It's Plecia nearctica (the Common Lovebug).

Long body, long legs, long mouth.

These mouths were made for sucking,
So that's just what they'll do....

Eugnoriste sp. (a dark-winged fungus gnat; Sciaridae).

Collected from a Lactuca (Blue Lettuce) flower. Manitoba, Canada.
#Flyday #FlydayFriday #diptera #insect #sciaridae #manitoba #flies #FridayFlyday

A green midge (Chironomidae) for #flyday.
Manitoba, Canada.
#FlydayFriday #FridayFlyday #FlyFriday #insect #diptera #chironomidae

#FridayFlyDay
A very tiny woodpecker fly eating a very, very tiny springtail. Woodpecker flies (genus Medetera) get their name because of their upright, woodpecker-like stance. They are predators of soft-bodied arthropods such as this springtail (#collembola).

A hairy gall midge for #FlyFriday.

Sunflower Purse Gall Midge (Asphondylia helianthiglobulus, Cecidomyiidae).

Manitoba, Canada.

It's #FlyDay! Here's a Crane Fly (specifically Nephrotoma altissima) that I met on the sidewalk in front of my house. We had an neighbourly conversation about the weather, the local sports team, and where to find the best leaf detritus for egg laying.
#insect #Diptera #CraneFly #Tipulidae #FlyFriday #FridayFlyday

I wasn't expecting to find something for #FridayFlyDay, but then I stumbled across this adorable hoverfly in Trinity-Bellwoods on a mint-type plant that was still flowering in the garden! Due to the cold and the rather late hour it was placid and let me get lots of photos.

#FlyFriday #bugstodon #insects #flies #hoverflies • #Diptera #Syrphidae

I found this Common Lagoon Fly (Eristalinus aeneus) on one of my favorite flowers--False Foxgloves. The white eyes with brown spots are what draw me to these flies. It's a type of hover fly (flower fly, syrphid) and is an efficient pollinator of food plants. The larvae are reared to increase the numbers of adult pollinators in agricultural systems. The larvae live in semi-aquatic environments (including sewage lagoons) and feed on bacteria and organic debris.

The small picture-winged flies of the genus Stictomyia are tightly associated with cacti, their larvae apparently feeding on rotting or damaged parts of the plant. Texas. #FridayFlyday

Friday Flyday! Here's an absolutely charming robber fly, Taracticus octopunctatus, from Texas.

#FridayFlyday: I saw this fetching couple on the new-ish wood fence in Trinity-Bellwoods, but only got this one photo before some people asked me for directions and I inadvertently scared them off. The flies, not the people.

Best I can guess is Muscoidea?

Happy #FridayFlyday! I was astonished to see this ENORMOUS, ferociously bristled fly, the size of a bumblebee, visiting the garden goldenrod. I had no idea flies could get this big, at least not here.

It stared me down when my picture-taking annoyed it. I backed off, as I figured the beast could give me a concussion if it flew into my head with enough force.

Click for bristle butt and intimidating eye contact

#FlyFriday #bugstodon #insects #flies • #Diptera #Tachinidae

Friday Flyday! This Zelia vertebrata bristle fly has all the legs you need. Photo from Tennessee.

Look at my pretty eyes!

#FridayFlyday: at golden hour by the lake, saw the sunny side of a silver maple simply covered with cluster flies (_Pollenia_). Sunning? Hanging out? Speed dating? Anyone know what their deal is?

These flies are quite docile and I was able to get lots of close-up pictures. Their golden hair is quite handsome, I think.

I was trying to photograph a harvestman when this huge hornet-mimic hoverfly appeared

Thank goodness it's #FlyFriday!

"Hanging thieves," "bee killers," and now "micropanthers" (_Atomosia_, like this _A. puella_ found in High Park)—how come robber flies get the coolest common names?!

#iNaturalist observation: https://inaturalist.ca/observations/226825798

#FridayFlyday: met one of these little freaks (_Rainieria antennaepes_) again in High Park.

Bonus normal-ass flesh fly or whatever being like "yeah, I don't know what this guy's deal is."