We woke to a heavy rain, unusual for Kansas this time of year. Come to think of it, we've had an awful lot of rain this time of year! By August the grass is almost always brown, but this year, it is a lush green and it has been hard for hubby to keep up with the mowing. The heavy rain soon turned to a soft patter, and then disappeared. I did a short little walkabout, and here's what I found...
Diptera Tabanidae... I call them "horsefly horribalus" for the bites they inflict. Wikipedia says:
Often considered pests for the bites that many inflict, they are among the world's largest true flies. The bite from a larger specimen is extremely painful, especially considering the light, agile, and airborne nature of the fly. Unlike insects which surreptitiously puncture the skin with needle-like organs, horse flies have mandibles like tiny serrated scimitars, which they use to rip and/or slice flesh apart. This causes the blood to seep out as the horsefly licks it up. They may even carve a chunk completely out of the victim, to be digested at leisure.If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see the mandibles. Ugh. I hate the bites they leave behind on our poor horses. We are constantly spraying the horses with Ultra Shield fly spray, which is supposed to last about 14 days. Um-hum. Yeah, right.
Here are some prettier things I found during my walkabout...
Everyone was right about my flowers...
they have thrived since our damaging hail storms!
Our neighbor to the south was busy putting up hay yesterday.
Ye olde outhouse still stands.... for now.I think it will be the next outbuilding tear-down, soon.Wishing everyone a happy Saturday,
wherever you might be!
