Black shouldered drone flies are a species of hoverfly
This month Wild Boyz Photography is highlighting the beauty of Midwest nature. Ben currently lives in the Midwest. Before living in New Hampshire and Florida, I also spent ten years in Indiana. Both Ben and I have shot many photos around the Midwest. We hope you enjoy this gallery as well as our Midwest located (Illinois) featured non-profit partner Nature at the Confluence.
This overlooked pollinator is called a black shouldered drone fly. When you think about important pollinators, you might think of bees first. However, this fly is also an important pollinator across the United States. Black shouldered drone flies are a species of hoverfly. They are native to the eastern and northern United States as well as Canada. As the name suggests, these flies can hover motionless like a hummingbird.
Black shouldered drone flies are often seen hovering around flowers. The fly in the photo is on a flower called Lanceleaf Coreopsis. This flower also goes by Lanceleaf Tickseed and Sand Coreopsis. The photo was taken in a field on Macinac Island, Michigan. Although these flowers are native to Michigan, they are considered an invasive species in Japan.
These flowers are native to Michigan
As you can see in the video, this flower can form extensive colonies. The flower grows to one to two feet tall. The leaves of the lanceleaf coreopsis will grow to three to four inches long. If you are interested in learning more about wildflowers our previous non-profit partner Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas has a great database, including the lanceleaf coreopsis.
Black shouldered drone flies can be found year-round in the southern United States. Up north they can be found from spring until mid-November. I shot this photo in early July when black shouldered drone flies are actively bouncing from flower to flower collecting pollen and nectar. These small flies are all black with clear wings. They have white lines on their abdominal segments. This fly is commonly mistaken as a bee.
Did you know?
- Lanceleaf coreopsis are found in AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NE, NM, NH, OK, OH, NJ, OR, RI, PA, SC, TX, TN, VT, VA, WI, WV, WY, British Columbia and Ontario.
- Lanceleaf coreopsis inhabits forests, open fields, prairies, meadows, pastures, and savannas.
- Black shouldered drone flies target nectar for energy and pollen for protein.
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