Downlooker Snipe Fly (Rhagio scolopacea)

This fly gets its name from the habit of resting with its head down on tree trunks. It is usually in flight from May to August. This one was spotted on a stile close to a meadow near woodland in Darwen, Lancashire on 2nd June 2011. The female of the species, as shown above, can be distinguished from the male by the separation of the eyes; the eyes of the male are close together. It belongs to the family Rhagionidae. The larvae are predators on other insects and are often found living in rotting wood.