10 Things About Flies You May Not Know

Have you ever watched the mating dance of two flies? I did this afternoon. I find it amazing how fascinating life can be when you get down to ground level.

The humble fly. Many people swat flies away; kill them with fly spray; see them as a real pest. But did you know that some flies are pollinators? They are also master recyclers of food waste and yes, faeces. They are cleaners of the insect kingdom and we need those cleaners.

By getting down to nature's level we see such an avenue of beauty, interactions within and among species - far more in tune with their own essential nature; all working together for the greater good; the natural balance of this vibrant planet we live on.

They are in touch with something far greater than we can ever imagine.

As I watched these two flies doing a merry dance, I saw one fly (I assumed female) doing what I can only imagine was creating friction in her feet and legs, to me, a silent event but to the male fly perhaps creating a vibration that can only be felt or heard by him alone. He raced up and down a blade of grass moving in a figure of eight direction raising his wings and dropping them, raising his wings and dropping them. It was quite beautiful to watch. And I realised I wanted to share a new perspective on the 'common' fly and maybe this lens will encourage less swatting and more appreciation.

"One should pay attention to even the smallest crawling creature for these too may have a valuable lesson to teach us " - Black Elk

10 Things About Flies You May Not Know:

1. Some flies pollinate flowers.

2. Flies recycle food waste (the cleaners), without flies the world be a much dirtier place to live in.

3. Without flies other species would become extinct : frogs, lizards, spiders,bats, dragonflies, fish and birds.

4. Decomposers :They encourage dead carcasses to decompose faster which then enriches the soil.

5. A fly cleans itself constantly (may change the unclean perceptions we may have of them).

6. They are water quality indicators.

7. In areas of the world which have a lack of bees to polinate flowers (arctic & alpine regions) flies act as pollinators.

8. There is no protection for many fly species. This could be because the pesticide industry is such a big business and perhaps they are not classed as the more media friendly cute creatures for such a protection.

9. The use of pesticides on crops to try and kill flies and insects is actually causing more damage to the ecosystem than the flies themselves.

10. For the gardeners amongst you the maggots of hover flies feed on aphids reducing what gardeners could see as pests.