Not equally disgusting is the Deer fly (Lipoptena cervi). It is a small, flat insect that live in swampy ground. When disturbed it will fly up into the air and land on the host that disturbed it. The host is usually a deer, an elk or a human. After landing it will shed its wings and crawl quickly towards your hair or eyebrows. It will then start sucking blood. They can be hard to get rid of because they’re so flat. In some cases they cause severe allergic reactions.

The deer fly is pretty common in southern Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. I was actually attacked by a swarm of them this afternoon!