OK, flies are not my favorite insect, and they probably aren’t yours either. In fact, flies can transmit diseases and spoil an outdoor gathering. It would normally be challenging to capture a photo of a fly, but this one was busy eating something dead with his roach companion. What else would you expect from a fly?

Some facts about flies:

• Like other insects, flies have three body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), antennae, and six jointed legs.
• Houseflies have only one set of wings, unlike many other insects that have two.
• Flies have compound eyes which gives them the ability to see all around at once.
• Flies move through metamorphosis during their life cycle. Eggs are often laid on food, garbage, and dead creatures.
• The larvae of flies are maggots.
• Flies have a proboscis, a long straw-like tongue, which they use to suck up food. Do you see it in the photo above?
• Yes, they do have a purpose. Flies are a food source for other animals and help keep our environment clean.

Perhaps a bit surprisingly, there are a number of children’s books with a fly as the main character. Use this popular tale as a model for journal writing.

Such an informative and humorous story:

Use this classic book to teach sequencing.

From the Revolting Critters series:

Rhyming text follow a mischievous old black fly through the alphabet. List character traits of the fly.

What’s it like to be a fly? This humorous story is told from the fly’s perspective.

Don’t forget the popular series about Fly Guy!