A Stratiomys sp. of soldier fly feeds on parsley flower.

This post just might feature the first soldier fly on Bugphoto.net. These flies comprise family Stratiomyidae which is from the Greek, meaning “military fly.” Apparently the connection for the name is between the bold markings of the flies and the colors of military uniforms, according to BugGuide.net. The eyes are especially notable in this fly with their colorful, shining lines, though this photo does not feature them as much as they might warrant. This shot is an older one and suffers a bit from magnification OCD. It is uncropped, which means I cut off the wings in the original framing of the shot while trying to get a little bit closer than close. It’s hard to beat the parsley landscape however, so living without the tips of the wings is perfectly manageable here.