Picture-winged Fly - Callopistromyia strigula

July was a good month for Picture-winged Flies. I like the way they hold their wings open at times, ready for lift off. This one was in the herb bed around the oregano.

Picture-winged Fly - Ceroxys latiusculus

When we were at the farm this fall I noticed quite a few of these striped flys. They seemed to do more walking than flying and were constantly shuffling their wings.

Larder Beetle - Dermestes lardarius

I found this beetle crawling across the floor in the lunch room at work. That makes sense. They are often found where food is stored.

Tissue Moth - Triphosa haesitata

The temperature was about 5°c the other night when this Tissue Moth showed up. I love their colors.  It's always a treat to see one.

Snout Beetle - Glocianus punctiger

At only 3mm B spotted this tiny beetle while we were out in the yard. Their host plant is Dandelions and the larva feed on the seeds in the flower heads.

Dung Beetle - Aphodius fimetarius

For whatever reason I’ve always associated dung beetles with the prairies where I grew up. On the farm, whether in the chicken coop, the pig barn or the cow pasture, there was lots of dung for these beetles to eat. I was pleasantly surprised to find this guy on our walking trail up here in the Boreal forest. This species was introduced from Europe and is about 7mm in size.

Dance Fly - Rhamphomyia

Winter can sometimes bring surprises and at 5mm in size this tiny guy was one of them. I found this dance fly in mid February in our sunroom. It had just landed in one of our potted herbs we have growing there.