Capitol Corridor
Capitol Corridor
Capitol Corridor
University of California
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Posts Tagged: Syrphidae

Flies Are Pollinators, Too!

You may have noticed this little floral visitor in your garden. It might appear to be a bee, a common mistake to the untrained eye or those who...

Close-up of a fly, genus Eristalis, on a flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a fly, genus Eristalis, on a flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a fly, genus Eristalis, on a flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flies are pollinators, too! This little Eristalis is nectaring a zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Flies are pollinators, too! This little Eristalis is nectaring a zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Flies are pollinators, too! This little Eristalis is nectaring a zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of an Eristalis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Side view of an Eristalis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Side view of an Eristalis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 9:04 PM

Syrphids Back Again

Have you seen the little syrphid flies, aka flower flies and hover flies, hovering around the early spring blossoms? We saw half a dozen of them...

Honing In
Honing In

A SYRPHID FLY (problably from the Genus Toxomerus) heads toward a white ceanothus blossom near Tomales Bay. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Glitter
Glitter

WINGS GLITTERING in the sun, a syrphid fly lands on a white ceanothus blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 8:16 PM
Tags: flower fly (14), Robbin Thorp (289), Robert Bugg (5), syrphid fly (27), Syrphidae (8), Toxomerus (1)

Hovering

The warmth of the sun and the lure of nectar beckoned the hover flies or flower flies to our bee friendly garden.We saw this one nectaring the rock...

Hover fly on rock purslane
Hover fly on rock purslane

HOVER FLY, aka flower fly, nectars the rock purslane. The insect is from the family Syrphidae, and probably genus Platycheirus, according to native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Nectar Lover
Nectar Lover

THIS hover fly, aka flower fly, reaches for more nectar from the rock purslane. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ready for Take-Off
Ready for Take-Off

READY FOR TAKE-OFF, the hover fly, crowned with pollen, heads for the tip of the blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, November 30, 2009 at 8:48 PM
Tags: hover fly (21), Platycheirus (1), Robbin Thorp (289), rockpurslane (1), Syrphidae (8)

Squatters' Rights

Squatters' rights. A dandelion poking through the rocks near Nick's Cove on Tomales Bay, in Marshall, Sonoma County, seemed an unlikely host for...

Fly-In
Fly-In

HOVER FLY, from the family Syrphidae swoops down on a dandelion claimed by a sweat bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Two's Company
Two's Company

TWO'S COMPANY--A tiny sweat bee and a hover fly share the same dandelion. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

On the Rim
On the Rim

POLLEN-PACKING sweat bee (top) prepares to leave the dandelion to the much larger hover fly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Alone
Alone

ALONE, the hover fly nectars the dandelion flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, August 24, 2009 at 5:39 PM
Tags: dandelion (1), hover fly (21), Lasioglossum (6), Sonoma County (5), sweat bee (23), Syrphidae (8)

If It Looks Like a Duck....

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, it's probably a duck. If it looks like a bee, buzzes like a bee, and visits...

Flying in
Flying in

FLYING IN--A syrphid or flower fly heads for a newly opened cactus blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Knobbed antennae
Knobbed antennae

SYRPHID FLY has a specialized bristle or arista on the end of each antenna. It looks like a knob. In comparison, the honey bee has long antennae bent at a right angle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Nectaring
Nectaring

NECTARING--A syrphid fly nectars on a cactus blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 6:00 PM
Tags: antennae (3), aristae (1), syrphid flies (9), Syrphidae (8)

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