Mid-day Fly Mesembrina meridiana
At last we get down to the exact species. In case of the Mid-day Fly (also called the Noon Fly) it is easy. There is no other fly, about 13 millimeters long, which is shiny black with contrasting orange parts. The beginning of the wing is orange, the feet are orange and the 'face' is orange. It is a common species, on the wing from May to November. Most people see the animal in October. Days may be cold and are definitely short then. And the flies frequently sit on bark, fences and walls in the sunshine warming up. So they are easily seen and identified.
The adults live on nectar from flowers mainly. Sometimes they are seen in great numbers on the flowers of ivy. The larvae live in dung, especially cow dung. There they hunt for the larvae of other animals.
