#hover flies

[jupiterswasphouse]

[PHOTO TAKEN: APRIL 13TH, 2026 | Image ID: A photo of a black and yellow hoverfly, that mimics larger apid bees, on the side of a brown clay pot /End IDs.]

Almost passed up the opportunity to get a photo thinking this was just a common bee I had seen a million times before, but the way its abdomen moved alerted me to the fact that this was really a fly! As I got closer, the head, eye, and mouth shape confirmed this for me.

[michaelnordeman]

Pellucid Fly/Volucella pellucens/fönsterblomfluga. Värmland, Sweden (August 2, 2025).

[uncharismatic-fauna]

look at this fella!!! not a lot of hover flies where i live so it was cool to see them :))

Wow, neat!

[lazchance]

hello my dears... it's not a bee! drone fly helps pollinate flowers

what looks like a worker bee from afar is in fact, a type of drone fly from the genus Graptomyza. drone flies fall under hover flies, flies which also pollinate flowers and hover in a similar fashion that certain bees do too, causing them to be frequently mistaken as bees

many hover flies also mimic bees or wasps to deter predators, and this one is no exception. the larval form of hover flies is also well known for being rat-tailed maggots, these large tadpole looking things that sometimes appear in peoples toilets and scare the crap outta them

[mothmansfather]

Toxomeres geminatus, a lovely little hoverfly bee mimic with the enigmatic common name Eastern Calligrapher.

Rye, NH / 28 October 2025

iNaturalist entry

[indigrassy]

Schemin'

[mountrainiernps]

While there is still patchy snow, early season wildflowers are also emerging in subalpine areas like Sunrise! These pasqueflowers were found blooming in front of the Sunrise Visitor Center with hoverflies already hard at work as pollinators. Pasqueflowers (Anemone occidentalis) have big blooms with white petal-like sepals and yellow stamens. The entire plant is covered in long shining hairs that help insulate it from cold and windy subalpine conditions. Later in the season, the blooms are replaced by large mop-like, feathery seedheads, sometimes called “mouse-on-a-stick”. What early wildflowers are you observing in the park?

Please remember to stay on trails to protect the delicate subalpine wildflowers just starting to grow, even if it means crossing patches of snow!

For updates on what’s blooming where visit https://go.nps.gov/RainierWildflower

Unfamiliar with Mount Rainier’s wildflower species? Check out the wildflower guide at https://go.nps.gov/RainierWildflowerGuide

NPS Photo of pasqueflower blooming at Sunrise, 7/3/24.

[ichbineinkriechend]

oh and i saw this lady outside a few hours ago!

[ID: Five pictures of a black and white hoverfly, probably a pied hoverfly [scaeva pyrastri], in german either a späte Großstirnschwebfliege (late big forehead hoverfly), blasenköpfige Schwebfliege (bubble-headed hoverfly) or Halbmondschwebfliege (half-moon hoverfly). End ID]