I like photographs that make us see things differently. These macro shots, by flickr.com member Troup1, cast an admiring eye on the most reviled group of insects: the order Diptera, which includes house flies, mosquitoes, and midges. Aren’t they lovely?
Blue Bottle Fly
Bee Fly
Hover Fly
Long-legged Fly
What makes a fly a fly?
Diptera means “two wings.” While other insects — bees, for example — have two pairs of wings, true flies have only one pair. All that remains of the fly’s ancestors’ second set of wings are club-shaped nubs, which gyrate as it flies, helping it to balance.
Disclaimer: While I believe that these insects are all true flies from the order Diptera, they haven’t been positively identified.
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