Celery Leaf Fly

Celery Leaf Flies, Euleia heraclei love playing games! I find them fascinating and challenging to photograph at the same time.

When I find them, they seem to be very aware of my presence, leading me on a merry dance around the leaves. They hide under a leaf then pop out, look me straight in the face, dance around the leaves and stalks at speed, then disappear under a leaf again.

They're not very willing to fly away, preferring to teasing me with their game for ages. I'm sure they say 'cuckoo' every time they reappear. Anyone watching me would be in stitches watching me crawl around the edge of the pond on my belly.

I was ready to give up as I had a couple of shots that weren't too blurred. I turned my attention to the mating Damselflies that you can see making their 'love heart' in the background. I'd left the celery fly a couple of meters away. I focused on the Damselflies and the little b***** popped up in front of them. I just managed to change the focus to get this. Not the best shot of the Celery Fly, but just look at that background. I couldn't have done it if I'd tried! :)

Yes, the Damselflies are giants in comparison. The little Celery Fly is about 3-4mm.