Dolichopodidae, or the long-legged flies, are a large family of “true flies” with more than 7,000 described species. Or so says wikipedia. They also tend to have beautiful metallic colors. These two were spotted on the pepper plants in my garden. I believe they were involved in a mating ritual or territorial dispute. The one in flight was performing a hovering/flyby act while the other watched.
Long-legged flies are not garden pests, and may even be helpful. These were very small at around 5mm, and it was quite a challenge to get a picture with both of them, and in focus! However, there something else in the garden with them. It was an even smaller fly that I would estimate at 2-3mm, (possibly also Dolichopodidae), which I lost track of and was unable to photograph. Sad!
