Gender Inequality

The march flies are out in force on the Angelica flowers. They are members of the Bibio family. The females are red in front, have very long elongated heads with small eyes, and they are plump. The males, on the other hand, are smaller and slimmer. They are black, with huge eyes that take up most of their heads.

March flies are also known as flower flies because they feed on nectar, and sometimes as lovebugs because of their most obvious behaviour. Mating goes on for hours, during which time the female continues feeding as normal, walking, or even flying, from flower to flower, dragging the male behind her. It’s not unusual to see him dangling if he can’t get a foothold on the flower.