Order Diptera – Family Tabanidae
This pest looks like a jet airplane when it lands after circling above its prey – and it feels like one too when it bites! As with horse flies and mosquitoes, only female deer flies feed on blood; the males drink plant juices. The larva feed on small aquatic insects. Some deer flies transmit bacteria that can cause tularemia in rabbits and hares…and occasionally people.
1. Starting with the head and two eyes, then add rounded rectangles of the thorax and abdomen.
2. Draw the wings, extending beyond the abdomen.
3. Add six legs, and antennae.
4. Look closely! Draw the markings on the back and the veins on the wings. Add markings on thorax and abdomen, and shade the eyes, leaving highlights.
5. Add shading to head, thorax, and abdomen. Shade the wings to make them look translucent: you can see shapes through them, but they are not completely clear.