As I turned to climb out of the Metolius River's cold water yesterday, I spotted a big white-faced bug in the bush I was starting to push through. Although only about 12 inches away,
it stayed still rather than flying. Slowly I reached into the pocket of my fishing waders, where I always carry my little Sony RX100 M7. I knew I didn't have much time.
So I braced the camera against my body as well as I could, focused and took my first shot. Then moved the camera a little closer, and snapped another frame. Repeated several
times until the camera was a just few inches from the subject, and what was now clearly a big fly finally took flight.
A little research led to the tentative conclusion that this was a tachinid fly, genus Juriniopsis, species most likely adusta. The adults of this species live mostly solitary lives
and are nearly always observed feeding on flower nectar, disdaining the carcasses and garbage preferred by some other flies that they so closely resemble. Though the
youngsters of the species do lead a more gruesome lifestyle: as the eggs hatch into larvae while inside their insect hosts--usually caterpillars--they consume their victims from
the inside as they grow larger.
Butterflies they are not; but the adults do serve a pollinating purpose, and to my mind have a a rather fascinating appearance. So what say you, beauty or beast?