While I was sat outside one sunny day a few weeks ago several flies landed on my arm. I brushed them off and thought little more about it. Later in the day a lump and bruise started to appear which I treated with hydrocortizone cream. The lump and bruise grew for several days and each time I touched it I could feel something which felt like a stiff hair. I didn't think much about it until one day when it was itching I gave it a scratch and pulled out last week's mystery object. The pointed end on the left is the business end and an opening in the side like the eye in a needle can be seen near the tip.
My own theory as to what it is: I assume at least one of the flies was a blookd sucker and I think that the process of knocking the fly off my arm broke its proboscis while it was still inside my arm. Once I had removed the offending object the healing process speeded up a lot.
On to more pleasant things for this week's puzzle. Guess what.
Clue: Think back to some very sticky sap.
Landing zone for pollinators on an orchid flower? Glad your arm is healing.
ReplyDeleteI will go for a petal an Orchid petal not a bicycle petal.
ReplyDeleteSo now there is a proboscis-less fly flitting about ;) Sounds like a reasonable explanation - I just didn't want to imagine such a thing! Were they horse flies? (or do you have them over there?)
ReplyDeleteToday's image does look it may be markings from one of your Cymbidium orchids. (It helped reading the comments above ;))
Hello Glo. Yes, we do have horse flies. I think 'my' fly was smaller though it happened so quickly I can't be sure.
ReplyDelete