common compost fly (Syritta pipiens) female at Clear Creek WMA IA 653A2481
We can thank the European continent for this common compost fly that first arrived here in the States about 140 years ago. On the other side of the Big Pond it would be called a thick-legged hoverfly. Both names have merit for if you look at the hind leg of this female fly you will notice that her femur looks very fat - or thick. Notice too the dangerous-looking row of sharp spines along the lower edge of that swollen leg segment. This female will lay her eggs in rotting dung or compost and that's what her young will live on - you could say the larvae help turn compost into fertilizer. Females like this one feed on nutritious flower pollen to help develop their eggs. Common compost flies are members of the large hover fly or flower fly family and are important pollinators of our wild flowering plants.
common compost fly (Syritta pipiens) female at Clear Creek WMA IA 653A2481
We can thank the European continent for this common compost fly that first arrived here in the States about 140 years ago. On the other side of the Big Pond it would be called a thick-legged hoverfly. Both names have merit for if you look at the hind leg of this female fly you will notice that her femur looks very fat - or thick. Notice too the dangerous-looking row of sharp spines along the lower edge of that swollen leg segment. This female will lay her eggs in rotting dung or compost and that's what her young will live on - you could say the larvae help turn compost into fertilizer. Females like this one feed on nutritious flower pollen to help develop their eggs. Common compost flies are members of the large hover fly or flower fly family and are important pollinators of our wild flowering plants.