WildView™

December 16, 2016

Flower Flies

- as seen by -

John Stahl

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Autumn means many things to many people.

Aside from searching out foliage, I always make it a point to visit the dahlia garden at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, New York in October. Along with a multitude of magnificent blooms, there’s almost a guarantee of seeing many wee beasties as well. The flowers are magnets for butterflies, bees, and flies. The bees range in size from small to large. Some of the more interesting flies of the world can also be found at the arboretum such as this syrphid fly (Toxomerus geminatus) seen here on an autumn-hued dahlia. These are also called flower flies, and many are bee mimics. They come in a variety of sizes. This particular beauty is from 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch in length. Getting clear, sharp images of them is a challenge, especially when fall winds are blowing.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This photo was chosen as one of our top submissions from our Wild View All Things Autumn Assignment.

Canon EOS 7D with 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

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