Musca domestica: Wings and a prayer

USDA Photo

If all God's children have wings, then musca domestica (otherwise known as the common housefly) must be one of them.  Even Ogden Nash admits: God in his wisdom made the fly,   And then forgot to tell us why.  

St. Leufredus, nicknamed "the Patron Saint against Flies," had his own musca theology, which he didn't keep to himself.  Legend has it that the tiny critters interfered with his sleep.  Perhaps fly swatters weren't yet invented in the 8th-century CE, so Leufredus did what any self-respecting Saint would...  He bowed his head in prayer, and whoosh!  Flies fled.

Some might think that saintly prayers should be a bit loftier.  Perhaps this is too harsh a judgment.  Perhaps St. Leufredus was merely praying for the flies' well-being.  Perhaps they even knew that, and so in gratitude flew on to the next victim. 

Houseflies, insects and animals in general have far more intelligence that we give them credit for.  We think that our brains are better because they're bigger.  Yet scientists now know that a brain the size of a pinhead can function in many of the basic ways that a human one can. 

As for the expression "filthy fly," houseflies are actually quite fastidious.  They are continually grooming their feet, wings and eyes - especially after enduring the pollution of most human habitats.

Resources

https://stories.uq.edu.au/research/2020/what-do-flies-think-about/index.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20is%20fascinating%20because%20it,like%20us%20with%20every%20discovery.

https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/fly-cleaning-hands-face-leg-rubbing-video

https://www.insightbooks.com/blogs/news/national-days