Field Notes Update

Red-footed Cannibalfly /  by Todd Henson

A red-footed cannibalfly perched on a limb.

I tried to frame the red-footed cannibalfly near the spotlight in the background.

I will admit to being a bit nervous when I got close to photograph this fly. It was large for a fly, and it had a vicious look about it that reminded me of deer flies and their nasty bites. But it turns out this particular species, the red-footed cannibalfly (Promachus rufipes), a type of robberfly, doesn’t care much for chasing people. Instead, it prefers to perch itself on branches or leaves or other surfaces watching the world around it and waiting, patiently waiting, until another insect flies by. When that happens the cannibalfly launches itself and quickly grabs the other insect, sometimes larger than itself, out of the air. It then calmly finds another perch where it’ll eat its meal, injecting it with digestive enzymes to liquify the internals, similar to spiders.

Do be careful around these, though. They may not be drawn to humans but if you agitate it too much you might be in for a surprise as it can still bite. This one was very calm and wasn’t concerned with my presence no matter how close I approached it. Perhaps it was sleeping. But when I approached another one later in the hike it took flight and buzzed around me before settling back to the same perch. It just wanted to give me a warning. I took it and backed off. They really do have a loud buzz so getting close and then suddenly having it spring at me was a bit startling. 🙂

A top-down view of the red-footed cannibalfly.

An angled view of the red-footed cannibalfly.

Below is a zoomed in closeup of the red-footed cannibalfly. I believe this may be a female based on the shape of the ovipositor, which has the look of a stinger but isn’t one. These flies don’t sting, they only bite. And as mentioned, they’re not keen on biting people unless you really aggravate them.

A closeup of the red-footed cannibalfly.

Have you ever seen one of these large flies?

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

4 Views of Orchard Spiders on Their Web /  by Todd Henson

Orchard orbweaver spider against the dark

I think I’ve always found spiders fascinating. And what’s even more fascinating? A spider on its web, of course! 😀

A colorful orchard spider

Here are 4 examples of orchard spiders I found in Prince William Forest Park (Virginia) in June of 2022. The first two are from June 4th and the last two are from June 25th.

Orchard orbweaver on its shiny web

I tried to find different perspectives to show you, though looking at them now I realize I didn’t capture any good photos of the back of the spider. Oh well, that gives me something else to look for on future hikes. And seeing as how orchard spiders are fairly common in this area there’s a good chance I’ll find plenty of opportunities.

Spotlighting an orchard orbweaver

The last photo isn’t the greatest from a technical perspective. It has a fair bit of noise and isn’t completely sharp. But I was looking for a particular mood to the image, with a somewhat dark spider spotlighted by the lighter circle of green in the background, and the web largely hidden from view. The environs were very dark so I had to boost the ISO which resulted in the noise. And my unsteady hands and any breeze hitting the web caused the lack of sharpness. But I’m still pleased with the image and I hope you enjoy it.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

There’s Gold on Them Thar Flies /  by Todd Henson

Hanging with a golden-backed snipe fly

I caught a flash of gold while walking down a trail through the forest. I know in times past these woods were mined for pyrite, also known as fool’s gold, but I hadn’t expected to find real gold here. And yet, looking down that’s exactly what it appeared I’d found. And then the little bit of gold began moving.

Though it might blend in well in this environment, the movement of gold caught my eye.

I’d stumbled across a golden-backed snipe fly (Chrysopilus thoracicus), one of the many, many species of true flies in the world. And what a beautiful fly it is, with that back covered in little gold hairs that sometimes give the look of gold leaf someone’s applied to the back of the fly. This particular fly wasn’t very bothered by my presence. It was spending its time wandering around on the ground, so I did the best I could to keep up with it, capturing some photographs along the way.

I followed this golden-backed snipe fly as it moved around on the wet ground.

According to the Mountain Lake Biological Station of the University of Virginia, there’s actually little known about their life cycle and habits. You’d think in today’s world that everything has already been discovered, studied and understood. But the more I learn the more I realize how much we, as a species, and I, as an individual, still don’t know about the world around us and all the life that inhabits it. I find that encouraging as there’s still plenty of opportunities to discover and learn, something I very much enjoy doing.

And speaking of learning, I want to thank Stephen Gingold for teaching me what species this was, which then prompted me to do a little research of my own to learn more.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!