Where are the Insects in the Rain?

Green Bottle Fly

Green Bottle Fly

It amazes me how rainy weather makes the insects disappear. Sure their wings get wet and makes flying a chore when their wings get stuck together, but they gotta eat right?

After all, if your life is pretty much dependent on the environment it makes it hard to exist for very long if you can’t get out for food. I was out in the garden looking for sleeping bees hiding under leaves and not one bee was found. A few carpenter bees were flying around, but the usual crowd was hunkered down somewhere in the flowers. So where are all the insects?

In short, it depends on the insect which ones are out in the rain. Some wait for the storm to pass, some never leave their hives or home, and some just dodge the raindrops. So what did I find? A bunch of flies! Seems the flies don’t mind a few raindrops.

Green Bottle Fly

Green Bottle Fly

We have been getting a lot of rain lately and am wondering if an ark might be a building project to start. Glad for the rain, so no complaining here.

My most searched post on GWGT right now is The Purpose of Flies and Art of the Fly. Why do sooooo many people want to know about flies? In a way, I kinda like that people want to know the ecological purpose of flies since they do have some useful qualities.


There are a lot of kinds of flies too, and I can’t identify many. So many look similar, so it takes an entomologist to get them right.  At least I can photograph them…



Just to note, rain does wash away pollen, making dry weather better for foraging. Rain rehydrates plants and then they make more nectar for those dry-day food runs.  Rain also is especially a turn-off for little insects that might get washed away, except mosquitos. They evolved in rainy climates, so they happily buzz around.  Bummer. I got bit when I was out on insect hunt. Pesky mosquitos. They are tiny flies that have their purpose too. Did you know that?


This entry was posted in Insects, Macro photography, Nature, Photography, Photos and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

28 Responses to Where are the Insects in the Rain?

  1. alesiablogs says:

    We have only a few mosquitos here. I can not remember the last time I was even bit. : )

  2. David says:

    Interesting information and really great photos. I love the environment and composition for the green bottle fly.

  3. gaiainaction says:

    Great question, and your photos are exquisite!

  4. Pat says:

    Fantastic shots!

  5. aussiebirder says:

    Beautiful fly shots so well captured Donna, were you using a macro?

  6. My Heartsong says:

    Great macros, Donna!

  7. A.M.B. says:

    Beautiful pictures! It’s interesting that your most popular post right now is about flies.

  8. Lyle Krahn says:

    Of course mosquitoes would adapt to the rain! Your flies are looking very good.

  9. lucindalines says:

    Funny, I was thinking about an ark too this morning. I dumped 4.5 inches out of the rain gauge from the past few days. I am beginning to wonder if it is off a bit, but the puddles in the yard seem to support the amount. Neat post!!

  10. Flies don’t mind a bit of rain and bumble bees keep on flying as well. dragonflies are easy to find (and photograph) right after the rain but al the other insects crawl away in holes or in bushes. They are very good in playing hide and seek I guess 🙂

    • donna213 says:

      Thank you for viewing. Insects are all different in their approach to rain. Some like I mentioned, are out in it making our lives miserable – darn mosquitoes.

  11. bittster says:

    Hmmm. Rained again last night..
    Love the photos but hate flies 🙂

  12. lavanyaprakash says:

    Beautiful pictures, Donna! So glad to have stumbled upon this other blog of your’s! 🙂

  13. Ugh, the mosquitoes have been horrible this year. I imagine butterflies can’t go out in the rain, with those big delicate wings.

  14. I still don’t like mosquitoes even if they have a purpose besides eating me alive….I am always fascinated by the critters that brave the downpours even the hummers.

Your comment is appreciated.


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