Common green bottlefly - full body, Heesch, Netherlands

Extreme macro shots of this highly common species of fly. Unlike the house fly, this is a fly that tends to stay outside. They are very commonly found sun bathing on fences and other objects.

It has an incredibly rapid life cycle of 2 to 3 weeks, from laying eggs in or on an animal dead or alive, the larvae feeding on this flesh, the larvae going through 3 instar phases, the larvae exiting the host to find a place to pupate, the pupae morphing into an adult, and this adult laying new eggs.

Interesting fact is that mate discovery takes places by the male detecting the light frequency of flapping wings of other flies. This way it can filter out males or old females.

There is somewhat of a courtship for the male to be allowed to mate, yet it's not very effective. The female may reject the male attempt yet is often too late to do so. Once mounted, her attempt to kick the intruder with her hind legs often does not dismount the male.