Blow Fly (Calliphoridae, Diptera) - maybe the "Secondary Screwworm" (Cochliomyia macellaria)?
I wish this were a better photo because it is an interesting fly, but this is the best I got. The fly has the iridescent green/blue colors of a common Blow Fly (family Calliphoridae in the order Diptera) in the genus Lucilia - trash flies - and maybe it is. But I found this one in the woods, working flowers of native native Scale Broom (Lepidospartum squamatum) in the Asteraceae plant family. I don't think it's a trash fly. The Fly Day Friday group has a two photo limit, so I won't post this one. But HFDF anyway! (Paradise, Santa Ynez River, 23 September 2015)
It looks a bit like the "Secondary Screwworm" (Cochliomyia macellaria) fly to me. See this photo and the photos at BugGuide. These flies are green or blue, and have a white or yellow beard. It's hard to judge colors with these iridescent critters.
If I'm right, this fly is in the family Calliphoridae, but it's more interesting than the common trash flies. The fly is native to North America. Its larvae feed on dead tissue, including human tissue. But it is the "secondary" screwworm that only feeds on already dead tissue, requiring an exit would to infest. It actually has some medical uses. It has forensic use as the "principal species on which to base postmortem interval estimations". And they have been used "in some cases as surgical maggots" to clean only necrotic tissue from wounds. There's more info at Wikipedia.
Blow Fly (Calliphoridae, Diptera) - maybe the "Secondary Screwworm" (Cochliomyia macellaria)?
I wish this were a better photo because it is an interesting fly, but this is the best I got. The fly has the iridescent green/blue colors of a common Blow Fly (family Calliphoridae in the order Diptera) in the genus Lucilia - trash flies - and maybe it is. But I found this one in the woods, working flowers of native native Scale Broom (Lepidospartum squamatum) in the Asteraceae plant family. I don't think it's a trash fly. The Fly Day Friday group has a two photo limit, so I won't post this one. But HFDF anyway! (Paradise, Santa Ynez River, 23 September 2015)
It looks a bit like the "Secondary Screwworm" (Cochliomyia macellaria) fly to me. See this photo and the photos at BugGuide. These flies are green or blue, and have a white or yellow beard. It's hard to judge colors with these iridescent critters.
If I'm right, this fly is in the family Calliphoridae, but it's more interesting than the common trash flies. The fly is native to North America. Its larvae feed on dead tissue, including human tissue. But it is the "secondary" screwworm that only feeds on already dead tissue, requiring an exit would to infest. It actually has some medical uses. It has forensic use as the "principal species on which to base postmortem interval estimations". And they have been used "in some cases as surgical maggots" to clean only necrotic tissue from wounds. There's more info at Wikipedia.