St Mark's Fly

Quite chilly today. I went bug hunting as they're easier to capture when sluggish because of the cold. I found a couple of male St Mark's Flies. These shiny, black, hairy flies emerge around St Mark's Day, 25th April, the males a few days before the females. The females are bigger than the males, have smoky wings and smaller eyes. The males' eyes are divided by a groove and are connected separately to the brain. This enables them to look out for females and hover efficiently at the same time.