So sitting out in the woods, I'm already for lunch, got my sandwich out, I'm famous

for my love of sandwiches. Glorious scene, about to tuck in and zzzzzz, a fly lands on

the bread.

Oh, I swat it away, but it comes right back, completely unfazed. It becomes a staring

competition over my sandwich, but there's no way I'll ever get that fly. And what's

worse is that the fly seems to know that. You know, I'm a human being with a complex

brain, at least I like to think it's complex, and I'm much smarter than the fly. I should

win, but I can't. On today's episode, we're going to answer a question that has tormented

humankind since the dawn of picnics. What is it about flies that make them so bloody

hard to swat?

Okay, you're WNC at all. I'm Chris Morgan. Welcome to the wild.

The wild will be back with new episodes in March, but to help you with your nature fix,

I'd like to tell you about Patagonia's stories. The host of the podcast, Archnaram, explores

the fundamental nature of knowledge, and how lessons that are shared and passed on can

help us connect with our natural world. That knowledge can be restorative, help us deal

with the anxiety of climate change, inspire art, and teach us how to experience the world

in unexpected ways. Patagonia's stories is available now, wherever you get your podcasts.

There are more than 120,000 species of flies from the order diptera. That name comes from

the Greek meaning, two wing. These include insects like fruit flies, horse flies, blow

flies, but the one we usually come into contact with, like over a sandwich in the woods,

is muskah domestica, the house fly. The name's deceptive, because you'll find them not only

in your house, but outside, buzzing around garbage cans, scat, or the carcass of a deer. Needless

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