On the 19th of July 2021, while walking along the line of shrubs and trees at the edge of the vast coastal meadow, I came across a bunch of small flies that I have never seen before.
(Enlargeable)
Today, after a long and exhaustive search through the meandering Internet, I still can't tell you the name of the species. I can only show you through photographs what I saw back then in the summer of 2021 and supplement the pictures with some of my thoughts. In this opening shot, you can see two flies fighting. On that occasion, I witnessed many short skirmishes on the lower branches of the elm tree. But, since the fights were incredibly fast and unpredictable, the action is sharp and frozen only in this one, single photograph. You can enlarge the picture by clicking on it to take a better look at the details.
(Enlargeable)
Here you can see one of those flies regurgitating a minuscule bubble. The droplet stayed there on the top of the fly's proboscis for less than a minute and then was reingested. Today, while preparing this post, I found out that sometimes flies do that to cool down. With the droplet exposed, the liquid evaporates and the fly gets a bit of refreshment. On other occasions, bubbling and regurgitation can be related to digestion. I'm not sure why were these particular flies bubbling back then in 2021.
Only after half an hour of following the flies through the macro lens, did I notice the place on the branch that was in the center of their attention.
The flies were here for the sap that was trickling through the bark and forming a nutrient wet spot for hungry insects.
At times they were feeding harmoniously together, but more often ...
... they were chasing each other up and down the branches.
At one point a bee entered the scene.
The Lasioglossum malachurum, a species from the Halictidae family, landed to get a bit of free sap.
(Enlargeable)
The flies didn't like that idea, so the bee was soon chased away.
With the bee out of the scene ...
(Enlargeable)
... the flies were quietly feeding for a minute or so, but then ...
(Enlargeable)
... after a short display of aggressive behavior, the bee chased the considerably smaller flies.
Meanwhile, this minuscule Scymnus apetzi ladybird was resting on one of the nearest leaves, undisturbed by the action.
Less than a minute later, while the bee was enjoying the sap, one fly came from behind ...
... and single-handedly chased it away.
For a while, that victorious fly had the sweet little pool all to herself.
On a hot summer afternoon, I was sweating and the flies were bubbling a lot.
At one point a giant entered the scene.
The flies tried to chase it, but this insect was too big. Their enormous self-confidence and courage weren't enough this time.
The Polistes gallicus paper wasp was feeding undisturbed ...
... while the flies were running up and down the branch, always keeping a safe distance from the aforementioned wasp.
Here you can see a small droplet in the wasp's jaws.
Soon the wasp flew away ...
... and I decided to take a look at what's going on in the tall grass under the tree.
Here you can see the nymph of the Aiolopus strepens ...
... a grasshopper from the Acrididae family.
Not far from there I found this Chorthippus bornhalmi. With the clear, blurred background the grasshopper is clearly visible ...
... but without the shallow depth of field provided by the macro lens, the Chorthippus maritimus is well - camouflaged among the stems of dried-out grass. This is the male of the species. In the following photograph ...
... you can take a look at the even better - camouflaged female. Chorthippus bornhalmi is a species from the Acrididae family.
This Calliptamus italicus, yet another locust from the same Acrididae family was photographed on the leaves of the Dittrichia viscosa plant. After taking this shot ...
... I found two spiders on that plant.
(Enlargeable)
Some species from the genus Xysticus of the Thomisidae family ...
(Enlargeable)
... and the minuscule Kochiura aulica from the Theridiidae family.
I took three more shots crouched in the green grass that grew in the shade of the Dittrichia viscosa. I photographed this trio of ants ...
... and a planthopper.
(Enlargeable)
The Agalmatium bilobum planthopper.
AND THAT'S IT. AS ALWAYS IN THESE POSTS ON HIVE, THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE MY WORK - THE END.