---

Send some rain! Think of the baby diptera!

This summer is the dries on record in Finland by quite some margin. Total rainfall in Helsinki (where I live) since May: 15 mm! :o Average would be about ten times more.

I fear this is going to decimate the populations of many diptera, especially those living in moist soil or wet dead trees like the handsome Temnostoma hoverflies. Also many springs and small streams have totally dried up. We'll see how the springwater species like a winter without the 'warm' groundwater for protection. Year 2002 was also very dry and it killed many park trees and whole pine forests on rocky ground. This year will be worse :(