In my state of limited mobility, the best I can do is roam around my yard looking for spiders. I’m not seeing any, other than a few Parasteatoda in the garage and compost, despite the fact that we’ve got lots of flowers, and it’s mid-July, and you’d think they ought to be thriving. We don’t even have any grass spiders!
What we do have is clouds of flies. Just hovering swarms of little bitty flies hovering around everything.
Come to my yard, spiders! There is a feast awaiting you!
Something for Connlann to study?
Korea provides four cousins of spiders.
“Four new pseudoscorpion species with dragon-like jaws found in Korean caves”
.https://phys.org/news/2025-07-pseudoscorpion-species-dragon-jaws-korean.html
The second one is clearly a syrphid. I think the first one is a dolichopodid.
(OT) Something you may ponder while your ambulatory capacity is recovering.
.
Hank Green:
“The Hardest Problem Evolution Ever Solved [for vertebrates]”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=On2V_L9jwS4
The keratinized skin of land-living vertebrates repurposed a material used for the internal scaffolding of cells!
Colourful little beauties! Great photos.
Vaguely recall most Diptera species (flies) prefer nectar & certain that applies to mozzies with only the females seeking blood for their eggs. (From old QI episode.)
@2. John Harshman : “The second one is clearly a syrphid. I think the first one is a dolichopodid.”
I hadn’t heard those words before.
Had heard of hoverflies though and seen some locally in the Bush over the years – awesome little critters :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoverfly
Plus vaguely recall Long-legged Flies :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolichopodidae
Yeah, you made me check. Cool. Will try to remember and something new learnt today, thanks.
PS On the female only blood drinkers and more Mozzie facts see 5 Mind Blowing Facts About Mosquitos! I knew about 3 of those already so hyperbole / clickbait title but still.