Adieu to camphorweed
A Syrphid fly on camphorweed; click for more detail.
As we bid goodbye for now to camphorweed, Heterotheca subaxillaris, I’m reminded that it’s not just spiders and I who visit this species. In 2009 the Syrphid fly shown here hovered about and finally landed as I was photographing some camphorweed on the the Blackland Prairie in northeast Austin. I’m also reminded that before Europeans brought honeybees to the Americas, the flowers that had evolved here somehow managed to get themselves pollinated with never a word of English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese being spoken.
Update on August 23, 2011: Valerie Bugh has confirmed that the Syrphid fly is Toxomerus marginatus.
© 2011 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Hi Steve. Love all your images. Was that taken using macro lens? I was thinking of getting one. Cheers!
hasayang
July 13, 2011 at 9:00 AM
I’m pleased that you like the images. This one was indeed taken with a macro lens, specifically the Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. For the majority of the pictures that I make, I’d find myself very limited without a macro lens. I highly recommend one.
Steve Schwartzman
July 13, 2011 at 11:07 AM
Nice focus on the fly, Steve.
Eden
July 13, 2011 at 9:13 AM
Thanks, Eden. I usually give precedence to a creature (spider, insect, bird, etc.) over a flower, putting the creature in focus even if parts of the flower end up out of focus.
Steve Schwartzman
July 13, 2011 at 11:41 AM
Lovely shot! Nice vivid colors and good focus on the fly.
iltana
July 13, 2011 at 12:34 PM
You might say that I hovered over the hover fly till I got it in focus.
Steve Schwartzman
July 13, 2011 at 2:01 PM
Very nice shot!
Montucky
July 13, 2011 at 11:29 PM
Thanks, Terry. I hovered around for over two years before processing this picture so I could use it here.
Steve Schwartzman
July 14, 2011 at 7:18 AM
Nice focus on the fly !! Flowers looks pretty too.
Author
August 5, 2011 at 6:57 PM
Hoverflies are fun to watch but it takes patience to photograph them because they usually take so long to finally settle down on something.
Steve Schwartzman
August 5, 2011 at 7:36 PM
Love the focus on the Hoverfly – interesting pattern on its back
victoriaaphotography
November 25, 2011 at 1:51 AM
Yes, this is one of the many flies that look like bees.
Steve Schwartzman
November 25, 2011 at 7:37 AM
[…] for syrphid fly. Thanks to reader Steve who lead me to the correct identification from my previous […]
hoverfly « the story
January 10, 2012 at 7:38 AM
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