I believe this is a deer fly, Chrysops flavidus. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. This creature's clones were present in hordes on our recent hike from the Hell's Canyon trailhead. We humans were pre-treated with insect repellent and weren't bothered too much. Daisy, however, hadn't been sprayed and had swarms of them around her whenever we stopped near lake, stream, or marsh. Deer flies suck the blood of mammals and have a painful bite. Daisy snapped at them, but without much success. The one above looks addled because Steve unkindly swatted it for a photo. (That's cheating, I know.)
Meet a Differential Grasshopper Melanoplus differentialis.
This guy and his kin have been harrassing the farmers in our area. They seem to congregate in the high, thick growth of an alfalfa field or garden. Daisy loves to catch grasshoppers and has been known to make a snack of them. Mmm. Good protein. Humans in some parts of the world consider them a delicacy. However, Wikipedia warns that raw grasshoppers should be consumed with caution since these insects can contain tapeworms. Be careful, Daisy!
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That deer fly looks just the way I like them--dead. Those things seem to have chainsaws in their beaks. Or maybe drill bits. Whatever, they are certainly pesky. Grasshoppers nearly devoured my Dad's hay and wheat fields and those of his neighbors in southern Idaho one year. Pest or maybe pestilence. Sorry for Daisy.
ReplyDeleteThose darn horseflies are really a pain, wherever they bite. I feel sorry for Daisy. Have seen roasted grasshoppers in Mexico but couldn't bring myself to eat them.
ReplyDeleteIf you hit it with a baseball bat and it doesn't even phase it, it is a deer fly, sometimes we call them horse flies. In Essex County, Massachusetts, along the salt marshes, we have "green heads" which are like the deer fly you have here, but with green eyes.
ReplyDeleteThey are flesh eaters. You don't want to see my legs. (sorry about that) You GO Daisey!!
ReplyDeleteboth very pesky, I hate when the deer fly bites.
ReplyDeleteOhhh, I do not like bugs.... but I love the outdoors....
ReplyDeletegreat pictures.
Love,
Kelly
Darn, there goes my survival food plan. eewwww . . . tapeworms . . . any kind of words . . . eewww
ReplyDeleteFantastic critter photos!
WOW!Very nice shots!
ReplyDeletekisses,
irina
We know them as horse flies here in South Africa. Just as bothersome and their bite is sore. I (who profess to not kill things) have just posted about an invasion of bees in my home and how I dealt with it. You may want to read about it. Hugs to Daisy, she's an awesome dog. I love your posts, so wholesome and fresh. Jo
ReplyDeleteEven these flies have a meaning in the universe...
ReplyDeleteI think deer flies are more annoying than mosquitoes but just barely. When I am painting lately they wait until I am at the top of the later with my arm outstretched painting a difficult spot to light and bite....my recourse is to swat them with the paint brush or roller and I am such a mess at the end of the day!!! Your photos are great.
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend.
Smiles
Great photos! What a pity such a handsome chap as the grasshopper is such a pest.
ReplyDeleteOh yes....deer flies are nasty little creatures to say the least.
ReplyDeleteMy 1st time ever, to participate in Camera Critters. Come see my fur baby at Christmas. Happy Weekend.
Deer Flies are nasty little critters! The only critters I dislike more are ticks, which we have an excessive amount of out here! My dad has an ointment that he puts on his wolfdog's ears to help keep the deer flies away.
ReplyDeleteGreat detail in the grasshopper photo.
Ha, poor fly. I love the striping on the grasshopper!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots but poor Daisy in both cases!
ReplyDeleteI would have swapped the deer fly too!
ReplyDeleteThe grasshopper is lovely though.
I absolutely loathe both of those critters, but nonetheless, it was an excellent post!
ReplyDeleteThey can be really annoying. No doubt about that. Here they are at they worst in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in June. Hard to escape from in a canoe...DEET or not.
ReplyDeletePoor Daisy and the fly. Grasshoppers really do make good scifi monsters! :D
ReplyDeleteGreat shot!
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of biting flies here too, before we ever brought the horses home. They just live in the woods, and with all of the deer and rabbits, there's plenty for them to feed on. What we call Deerflies here have clear wings with a band across them -- I hate those, as do the horses!
ReplyDeleteLOL, I have to agree with Leenie...
ReplyDeleteI remember going up to Canada and seeing swarms of flies as we drove by a lake. It was a most amazing sight. Great photos Janie, thanks for taking us along on another great hike.
ReplyDeleteGreat close-ups! Those flies are definitely annoying. I had no idea that grasshoppers could carry tapeworms!
ReplyDeletePoor Daisy, I'm glad she survived the attack of the flies. Great snapshot of the grasshopper. Like the detail in it!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a deer fly to me and here in Idaho we have them along with the huge horse flies. Both are busy biting right now. Tell the farmers to feed the grasshoppers to the cutthroats. They love them. Great photos.
ReplyDeleteJanie: Really neat critter captures.
ReplyDelete