Two syrphid flies

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The last time you saw a syrphid fly here was about a month ago, in a picture of one with large red eyes on an agarita flower. On March 21, as I was walking along a trail in McKinney Falls State Park in southeast Austin, I got down low to photograph some spiderworts. It was only then that I noticed these double-decker syrphid flies, which were at most a third of an inch long. I never saw any motion from the smaller fly on top, but the one on the bottom kept busily working away at the anthers of the spiderwort. From time to time this Atlas of a syrphid fly flew to a different location on the flower, carrying its impassive but impassioned mate along with it.

I though you might find this picture of two flies fooling around appropriate for April Fool’s Day. No fooling.

© 2012 Steven Schwartzman