Cleopatra

Unintentionally continuing with the green pollinator theme…

This eye-catching insect is the Common Green Bottle Fly (Lucilia sericata), a blowfly. What looks like a brilliant red “crash helmet” is actually her pair of massive, wrap-around compound eyes, which cover nearly the entire upper surface of her head! On this bright, sunny afternoon, her eyes gleamed with a vivid crimson hue, creating a striking contrast against her brilliant metallic-emerald body. She’s a stunner, and no mistaking it!

Fun Fact: Even though blow flies have a nasty reputation because of their preference for decaying matter during their larval stage, the adults are actually highly active and important pollinators. They visit late-season wildflowers like these panicled asters constantly, drinking nectar for energy and inadvertently transferring pollen from bloom to bloom.

Cleopatra — because she was famous for her legendary jewelry, particularly her love for deep green emeralds from her private mines. Cleo very famously wore strikingly bold makeup around her eyes. I think a shimmering, emerald-bodied fly with massive, dramatic red eyes, suits the Egyptian queen’s name perfectly!

I had a grand time watching her. She was unperturbed by the many other pollinators, all trying to nudge her away, even the Painted Lady butterfly — a much bigger and seemingly constant “pest”. An industrious and determined beauty, to be sure!

Cleopatra

An Autumn Encounter

A crown of ruby, bright and bold,
Above a shield of emerald green,
She sits upon the aster’s gold
As unperturbed as any queen.

Though painted wings drift soft and wide,
And larger suitors claim the towers,
She holds her space with quiet pride
Among the fading autumn flowers.

With steady grace and industrious care,
She sips the sweetness of the sun,
A jewel gleaming in the air
Until her daily work is done.

’Til next time, y’all…