Golden Soldier Fly

That’s my name for it, because its overall appearance was golden. The head to tail measurement was about 5 to 6mm, smaller than most other soldier flies I see. It had a bright green abdomen.The leaf it was on is littered with debris from an overhanging bush that has just finished flowering. The fly seemed to be grazing, running horizontally over the leaf, then tipping head down, tails up for a moment.

I had to go to Christchurch for an appointment. Apparently it was Black Friday. Not Friday the 13th, but the American day after Thanksgiving, which has absolutely no relevance in New Zealand- it’s still spring after all. Local stores have grabbed the idea and run with it. Anything to get more money out of people. Anyway, the extra traffic put me off shopping at all and I did little more than my groceries.