Whenever steak is being cooked on the barbeque, one of the first insects it is sure to attract is a blowfly.
Sometimes called bluebottles or greenbottles, blowflies have shiny blue, green or black bodies.
Blowflies lay eggs in the rotting flesh of dead animals, which provides food for their maggots (larvae).
Although they look disgusting, maggots play a vital role in decomposing dead materials and dung that would otherwise clutter-up the world.
A fully-grown maggot buries itself in the ground where it develops a hard shell called a pupa. Inside, its body is miraculously transformed into an adult blowfly.
| Legal tender | Australia |
| Effigy | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Denomination | $1 |
| Weight | 13.30g |
| Diameter | 30.60mm |
| Thickness | 3.10mm |
| Metal | Al/Bronze |
| Mintage | Unlimited |
| Designer | Elise Martinson |
The coin is encased in a lavish album that also includes:
- 8 other Australian $1 Backyard Bugs coins
- Information and activity booklet
- Handy magnifying glass
- Cool bug stickers
- Colourful bug posters
Australia has many native blowflies. Unfortunately, an introduced species is responsible for 'blowfly strike', the dangerous condition found in sheep, which happens when blowfly maggots feed on sheep skin.