Furry little Bee Fly in the mint patch - Villa lateralis?
This is a furry little Bee Fly (Bombyliidae, Diptera) working a flower in the mint patch of the garden today. We seem to have bigger and smaller ones of these, and this one is in-between. Maybe it is genus Villa in the tribe Villini - and maybe even species Villa lateralis which is said to have clear wings unlike most members of the group. It's a cute little fly. Note that it has its proboscis in the flower as well as its foot. I assume it's after nectar - unlike the Syrphid Fly I show two photos back which is going for pollen. HFDF! (San Marcos Pass, 27 August 2019)
Note that all my photos today are from the mint patch of the garden. It's a productive spot now that the mints have started to flower. It was another nice day, with temps in the upper-80s and not much wind - even at sundown. I'm getting pretty distracted as we're getting ready to head off to Oregon for a few weeks, leaving on Sunday. Fortunately my innards seem to have settled down by now. I'll be busy getting ready tomorrow, but I reckon I can find a few photos to post.
Furry little Bee Fly in the mint patch - Villa lateralis?
This is a furry little Bee Fly (Bombyliidae, Diptera) working a flower in the mint patch of the garden today. We seem to have bigger and smaller ones of these, and this one is in-between. Maybe it is genus Villa in the tribe Villini - and maybe even species Villa lateralis which is said to have clear wings unlike most members of the group. It's a cute little fly. Note that it has its proboscis in the flower as well as its foot. I assume it's after nectar - unlike the Syrphid Fly I show two photos back which is going for pollen. HFDF! (San Marcos Pass, 27 August 2019)
Note that all my photos today are from the mint patch of the garden. It's a productive spot now that the mints have started to flower. It was another nice day, with temps in the upper-80s and not much wind - even at sundown. I'm getting pretty distracted as we're getting ready to head off to Oregon for a few weeks, leaving on Sunday. Fortunately my innards seem to have settled down by now. I'll be busy getting ready tomorrow, but I reckon I can find a few photos to post.