Small fly on thicksepal cryptanth

Another thing I noticed at Monahans Sandhills State Park on the overcast and windy afternoon of April 12 was this small fly taking nectar from a similarly small wildflower. I had no idea what the plant was, but after returning to Austin I looked through wildflower field guides and decided this is Cryptantha crassisepala, whose “common” name of thicksepal cryptanth is just a rough translation of the scientific one.

If you’re interested in photography as a craft, you’ll find that points 1, 2, 6 and 7 in About My Techniques are relevant to this photograph.

© 2014 Steven Schwartzman