An unidentified fly rests on a leaf. I think that is a tear in its eye for longcoming arrival of Spring.

Well, even though there are still come big swathes of snow in the yard, we are having what one might call a “beautiful day” here in the hinterlands of western Massachusetts. I took Izzy (my chocolate lab) outside for some exercise, as well as to enjoy the sun and relatively warm temps (it’s going to be 52˚ F today!). Having seen the forecast in advance, I was also anticipating some new arthropod activity. I will give another look later, but I didn’t see any Salticus scenicus  or Sitticus pubescens jumping spiders roaming the brick walls of the house. I was slightly disappointed, but I did see numerous flies buzzing about. I’ll probably try to grab a few shots later just to shake off some of the rust (as well as test out a “new” lens with some reinvigorated cheap extension tubes — more on that in a future post).

In the meanwhile, here’s a nice strong-looking fly having a bit of a rest, a bit of a clean, to welcome in Spring.