This is a long-legged fly (Diptera:Dolichopodidae), so named because their legs are rather long in proportion to their bodies compared to other flies.
My friend sent me this picture of one the other day.
Unfortunately, that one was deceased.
Long-legged flies are beneficial insects that you have probably seen around your yard or garden this summer. They are predators of insects and other small invertebrates. They are pretty easy to identify since they are shiny green and metallic with very prominent compound eyes and a thinner body than other green metallic flies. You can tell them from green metallic bees by the fact that they only have one pair of wings. I sometimes confuse them with closely related fly family called dance flies (Diptera: Empididae or Hybotidae), because I see them "dancing" on leaves more often than I see "dance flies". Long-legged flies are very fast runners and you may see them scooting quickly around on leaves in search of their tiny prey. Dance flies on the other hand, got their name from the aerial maneuvers that the males perform in mating swarms.
Some members of these fly families have very interesting courtship behavior. For example in some species the male will kill another insect, bundle it up and bring it to a female as a gift. Biologists call this a nuptial gift and if the female accepts it she will often allow the male to mate with her and use the nutrients in the gift to nourish her offspring. Like many insects, they also perform elaborate behaviors that resemble dances during courtship. Here is a video of the courtship behavior of one species that I downloaded from the Dolichopodidae Wikipedia page.
Long-legged flies are one of my favorite insects to see during the summer and I hope that you will enjoy seeing them too!
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