A Horse Fly. It is so large that I think it's a moth. An inch, I'd approximate.
Wait, don't leave.
I admit to thinking twice about whether to post this. Fortunately, those two thoughts were followed by another one: that our habitat is a working network of diverse creatures, including insects. It's easy to love a Cardinal or Monarch Butterfly and appreciate them. It's harder to take a friendly attitude towards other living things, like spiders.
And flies.
I understand. After I read about horse flies, I'm glad that this one wasn't curious about me (or hungry). Perhaps it was a male. Males drink flower nectar and look for female mates, who are usually around livestock.
Males do not bite or drink blood...Females feed on blood and are not averse to taking it from anyone who has it. Their mouthparts cut open flesh allowing blood to ooze out. They use their proboscis to sponge up the blood, leaving an open wound. Their wounds can become infected, which poses a threat to livestock health (Insect Identification).The curious part of me wonders about the good of the Horse Fly. I can assume the helpfulness of the male nectar-drinking Horse Fly as a pollinator. Every meal we eat is because of pollinators. No pollinators mean no food. So a big yay for that.
And then, I wonder about the Horse Fly predators. Guess what eats horse flies? Birds. So, this nuisance to cattle (you?) is dinner to the Black-Headed Grosbeak, Sparrows, Warblers, and the major source of food for Swallows (What Birds Eat).
I read about the Horse Fly's smaller relative, the Housefly. To encourage a teeny bit of openness about embracing them, I want to share an excerpt:
While there's not much good to be said for their presence inside the home, like all flies, they fulfill an important environmental role as scavengers. As houseflies and their larvae feed, they consume nutrients in rotting organic matter. They leave behind picked-over remains that other organisms, bacteria and enzymes can further break down.
Though hospitals don't use housefly larvae to help clean wounds like blow fly maggots, some researchers believe houseflies have their uses. These larvae were reared at a Chinese housefly farm, where experts believe they may be used to develop cancer medication.
Flies and their larvae are also an important food source for a large number of predators. Housefly pupae contain large amounts of protein and are thus especially beneficial to the various birds, reptiles, and insects that prey on them. After all, there's a reason maggots are often purchased as bait by freshwater fishermen. Commercial tilapia farmers have considered feeding their fish housefly maggots exclusively (How Stuff Works).Well, that's interesting and something I didn't know.
So, I can't say that I'm comfortable with horseflies (or spiders, mosquitoes, ticks) on me or in my home or hospital. But I do want to stay open to how they are part of our world and the incredible network of life.
