Bee Fly on Sticky False Gilyflower flowers
Here are two shots of a tiny Bee Fly (order Bombyliidae, Diptera) working a new flower of native Sticky False Gilyflower (Allophyllum glutinosum) in the Polemoniaceae plant family in our canyon. It's an interesting fly because I don't think I've seen it anywhere except on these summer flowers. It looks like a small version of one of the larger bee-size flies that I find later in the summer like this one, so maybe it's in the tribe Villini? This fly does have a long proboscis, but you can see just a bit of it entering the flower on the left. The two shots are probably different flies - male and female? The plant is interesting too. Despite the common name, it is no relation to gillyweed in Harry Potter 4! (I've never actually heard anyone use this name.) It's also called Sticky False Gilia. It's a remarkable summer plant that will continue to flower until September or later - on no water at all. Hah - I was trying to get a photo of the flowers on a breezy day when the fly flew right into my photo - and then it happened again! I've already used up my two photo limit for the Fly Day Friday group, but HFDF anyway! (San Marcos Pass, 20 July 2018)
Bee Fly on Sticky False Gilyflower flowers
Here are two shots of a tiny Bee Fly (order Bombyliidae, Diptera) working a new flower of native Sticky False Gilyflower (Allophyllum glutinosum) in the Polemoniaceae plant family in our canyon. It's an interesting fly because I don't think I've seen it anywhere except on these summer flowers. It looks like a small version of one of the larger bee-size flies that I find later in the summer like this one, so maybe it's in the tribe Villini? This fly does have a long proboscis, but you can see just a bit of it entering the flower on the left. The two shots are probably different flies - male and female? The plant is interesting too. Despite the common name, it is no relation to gillyweed in Harry Potter 4! (I've never actually heard anyone use this name.) It's also called Sticky False Gilia. It's a remarkable summer plant that will continue to flower until September or later - on no water at all. Hah - I was trying to get a photo of the flowers on a breezy day when the fly flew right into my photo - and then it happened again! I've already used up my two photo limit for the Fly Day Friday group, but HFDF anyway! (San Marcos Pass, 20 July 2018)