Even for an "insectophile”, I have never had much fondness for flies. However, I have developed an appreciation for them. They are not only the annoying pests that hover on food and walk distractingly like black dots on your television. Flies do actually play an important role in the ecosystem, serving as catalysts for the breakdown of dead materials as well as supplying food for a multitude of otherwise more fascinating creatures.

The flies on this page are a few of the more bizarre ones I've found in the last couple of years.