A Robber Fly

I was parking the car when I noticed an insect perched on a twig among the plants at home.  At first glimpse, my first thought, of course, was... "Another dragonfly!"

But it was not to be. 

It was some other insect and a strange looking one at that.  I realised it only after I got out of the car and got closer to have a look and saw that the head, compound eyes and wings are different from those of the dragonfly.

 

 

Curious as I was to have a good look and figure out what it is, I skirted around to get a frontal view.  From what I saw, I thought it was rather beastly looking.  I did not manage to get a good shot but looking at these pictures would give you an idea why I had those thoughts.

 

 

I have since found out that it is a Robber Fly, of the family Asilidae, and it is an aerial predator capable of immobilizing bees, wasps and other insects larger than itself.  According to Wikipedia, these robber flies attack and feed on other flies, beetles, butterflies and moths, various bees, ants, dragonflies, damselflies, some wasps, grasshoppers and some spiders.

Urrgghh!  I should dislike this insect and hate it for preying on dragonflies and damselflies!  I hope it did not just make a meal of the immature dragonflies that have been visiting me?  Is that why this guy is here?

But, know what? 

What is there to hate about this robber fly or any other insect or another creepy crawly or some other creature?  If anything at all, it should be all these other creatures hating man!

Yet they don't.

When you look at things in perspective, human beings are the largest predators of all.  It is us that have driven so many other creatures to extinction from our actions.  For these creatures, their instincts are for the survival of the species and the way it is with nature, things are kept in balance in the entire ecosystem until man intervenes.

For the majority of man, most "hunts" these days are to fulfil a want rather than merely to feed a need.  And in so many cases, it is always the want for more of everything to feed the greed of man.  And all for the sake of money and power.

It is never enough.  It is endless.

When will we stop hunting the species of the world to death?  When will we stop depleting our oceans and stop destroying our forests before they are all gone?  When will we stop the rampage and stop robbing earth?

We should appreciate nature for what it is.  We should care for what we have before it is all lost.

Each and every one of us should pledge to make conscious choices every day towards sustainable living.  Start today.  It doesn't take much to do that, does it?