A Dark Greenbottle Fly?

What I can only assume is an unusually dark greenbottle fly, possibly Lucilia sp. (Diptera: Calliphoridae), on a thistle (Cirsium sp.).  The only thing like it that I can find out on the web is Lucilia silvarum, but they appear to be much brighter and cleaner than the above specimen, so I won't claim this as an identification.

Photos taken beside the Aire and Calder Canal, near Rothwell in West Yorkshire, on 2009-08-03.

Update on Thu 2010-02-18 by Tristram Brelstaff

A post here at wildaboutbritain.co.uk suggests that greenbottle flies do tend to turn bronze as they age.

Bee Fly

From back in the spring time: Bombylius major, a bee fly (Diptera: Bombyliidae).  Bombylius discolor is similar but has dark spots on the clear parts of the wings.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-04-26.

Trailing Space

I have just spent half an hour investigating what I thought was a JavaScript problem but which turned out to be caused by an unexpected trailing space in a file name.  What I had assumed was "day04.js" was actually "day04 .js".

Another Tachinid Fly

From earlier this summer, Eriothrix rufomaculata (Diptera: Tachinidae) on a thistle (Cirsium sp.).

Photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-07-16.

Tachinid Fly

Tachina fera (Diptera: Tachinidae).  With their repulsive looks and their big black spines, Tachinid flies are the orcs of the insect world.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading University grounds, Reading, UK, on 2009-09-22.