The adults drink nectar and pollinate flowers, the maggots eat aphids, and they look gorgeous
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The adults drink nectar and pollinate flowers, the maggots eat aphids, and they look gorgeous
Appreciating what is small but not insignificant...
Both grass seed-heads and hoverflies are vital contributors to the life cycle, natural balance and survival of this planet we all live upon.
See my pictures in Flickriver
A pair of Hoover Flies on wild roses
Mistbiene auf einer Margeritenblüte
Mistbiene (Eristalis tenax)
Enjoying the late Indian Summer
MC SONNAR 3.5/135 CARL ZEISS JENA DDR + Helicoid @3.5
FUJI-Filmsimulation: CLASSIC CHROME
Moment captured September 12th, 2022 at Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. USA
Hooverfly
My Back Garden 23-07-2021
Scientific name: Episyrphus balteatus
Phylum: Arthropoda
Higher classification: Episyrphus
Order: Fly
Rank: Species
Family: Syrphidae
Episyrphus balteatus, sometimes called the marmalade hoverfly, is a relatively small hoverfly (9–12 mm) of the Syrphidae family, widespread throughout the Palaearctic region, which covers Europe, North Asia and North Africa. The upper side of the abdomen is patterned with orange and black bands. Two further identification characters are the presence of secondary black bands on the third and fourth dorsal plates and faint greyish longitudinal stripes on the thorax. Its color patterns may appear wasp-like to other animals, such as birds, protecting it from predation.
E. balteatus can be found throughout the year in various habitats, including urban gardens, visiting flowers for pollen and nectar. They often form dense migratory swarms, which may cause panic among people for their resemblance to wasps. It is among the very few species of flies capable of crushing pollen grains and feeding on them[citation needed]. The larva is terrestrial and feeds on aphids.
As in most other hoverflies, males can be easily identified by their holoptic eyes, i.e., left and right compound eyes touching at the top of their heads
