View allAll Photos Tagged hoverfly
A hoverfly (Merodon equestris) resting on a flower stem after the rain.
Taken with an M42 50mm f1.8 Pentacon on macro bellows
Hoverfly, flower flies, or syrphid flies
insect family Syrphidae
Achillea millefolium, commonly known as yarrow /ˈjæroʊ/ or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae
Hoverfly Xanthogramma pedissequum on a bluebell. Having had the hoverfly on my hand , I persuaded it to go back onto a bluebell flower for a final shot
hoverfly resting for a minute on some orange flowers.
Flies in the family Syrphidae are commonly known as hoverflies, flower flies, or syrphid flies.
From Wikipedia:
Flies in the Diptera family Syrphidae are commonly known as hoverflies, flower flies, or Syrphid flies.
As their common names suggest, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects. Aphids alone cause tens of millions of dollars of damage to crops worldwide every year, and so aphid-feeding hover-flies are being recognized as important natural enemies of pests, and potential agents for use in biological control. Adult syrphid flies are important pollinators.
About 6,000 species in 200 genera have been described.