To bee or not to bee…
When is a bee not a bee? When it’s a fly masquerading as a bee and presumably gaining protection against predators that would fear the sting of a real bee. Thanks to Bill Dean, via BugGuide.net, for identifying this syrphid fly as a male Copestylum tamaulipanum. Today’s picture, which is from August 30 along US 183 in Cedar Park, also gives you a pleasant glance back at the flowers of Euphorbia marginata, called snow-on-the-mountain because of its white-margined bracts. For a zoomed-in look at the syrphid fly, click the excerpt below.
© 2016 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
I just love that plant!
Maria Gianna Iannucci
October 18, 2016 at 8:28 AM
Me too, as you can tell.
Steve Schwartzman
October 18, 2016 at 9:17 AM
Great lighting and picture. The detail is nice also, I can see the pollen on its leg
Backyard Photographer Blog
October 18, 2016 at 4:19 PM
Thanks. One advantage to having lots of pixels is that I can offer an overview as well as fine details.
Steve Schwartzman
October 18, 2016 at 10:58 PM
Ah, another flower we share. I enjoy hover flies more than the rest of the diptera family. They are attractive and, as flower flies, helpful in pollination as well as clean living individuals (not that I want them landing on my food, but much better than a blow fly).
Steve Gingold
October 19, 2016 at 4:02 AM
Yes, there’s good clean living among the flower flies.
I’ve been impressed by the wide range of snow-on-the-mountain, even if the USDA atlas at
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=EUMA8
shows a sparse distribution in some place (like the Southeast). I searched your blog for Euphorbia but didn’t turn up any hits.
Steve Schwartzman
October 19, 2016 at 5:03 AM
None to be found, Steve. I have yet to photograph that plant…only found it once.
Steve Gingold
October 19, 2016 at 4:07 PM
Apparently it’s not common there the way it is in central Texas. But hope springs eternal…
Steve Schwartzman
October 20, 2016 at 11:38 PM
The drone fly likes masquerading as a bee too …
Julie@frogpondfarm
October 21, 2016 at 2:37 AM
Have you shown a picture of a drone fly on your blog?
Steve Schwartzman
October 21, 2016 at 7:58 AM
I don’t think I have Steve .. I’ll try and get one for you over summer ..
Julie@frogpondfarm
October 21, 2016 at 5:03 PM
Okay, thanks.
Steve Schwartzman
October 21, 2016 at 11:45 PM
This is a good reminder to assume nothing about a little bee-like creature I photographed in Arkansas. He certainly looked like a bee to me, but it may be that he’s not a bee. That’s yet to be determined.
shoreacres
October 21, 2016 at 10:42 PM
Even though I know there are flies that look like bees, and even though I’ve read about the general differences between the two kinds of insects, I still often have trouble telling them apart.
Steve Schwartzman
October 21, 2016 at 11:47 PM