Greenbottle (Lucilla agg)



So flies are not everyone's favourite creatures but, even if you despise them, just take a moment to have a close look at the 'greenbottle'. The shiny metallic green colouring is, in my view at least, amazing. You can even see my reflection in this one as I creep up on it to take its photo! Look at those amazing big brown eyes too, nearly 10% of this insects body are eyes.

The greenbottle rarely comes in to our houses and I confess that it is not the most tasteful of insects. Frequently seen on dung of all kinds, especially dog's, and then seen on blackberries. Do you like to pick the odd blackberry to eat as you stroll along a country path? 
It lays its eggs in carrion and the larvae are an essential part of the recycling process and so you may not like them but they are important to our well being.

There are various similar species and they can only be positively identified by examination of the veins in the wings under a microscope!

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