It's often mistaken for a honey bee.
It's not a honey bee. It's a hover fly or flower fly.
And...
Hover Fly
A hover fly or flower fly, Syrphus opinator, rests on a stem in the Storer Gardens, UC Davis. You'll be seeing more of these hover flies as the weather warms. This photo was taken Saturday, Jan. 24. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Head of Hover Fly
HEAD OF HOVER FLY--This close-up photo shows the head of the hover fly, Syrphus opinator. The insect is often mistaken for a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Posted on
Thursday, January 29, 2009 at
2:44 PM
It blooms in winter and the bees love it.
Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), a rambling...
SIX-PETALED FLOWER
SIX-PETALED FLOWER--A honey bee forages on a winter jasmine in the Storer Gardens, University of California, Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
BEE HUG
BEE HUG--If there ever were a "bee hug," this is it. This honey bee is totally wrapped around the winter jasmine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
BEE IN BLOSSOM
BEE IN BLOSSOM--A honey bee checks out the winter jasmine in the Storer Gardens on Jan. 24, 2009 at the University of California, Davis. Note the golden pollen on her leg.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
HEAD FIRST
HEAD FIRST--Oblivious to everything but the blossom of this winter jasmine, a pollen-packing honey bee dives in. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Posted on
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at
4:52 PM
I always thought the red-hot poker was primarily red.
Not.
This one in the Storer Gardens at the...
Honey Bee
BEELINE--A pollen-packed honey bee makes a beeline for a red-hot poker, variety "Christmas Cheer," in the Storer Gardens at UC Davis. The date: Dec. 20, five days before Christmas. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Red-Hot Poker in Storer Gardens
RED-HOT POKER--The red-hot poker, variety "Christmas Cheer," brightens the Storer Gardens at UC Davis. A bench awaits visitors. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Posted on
Thursday, December 25, 2008 at
7:02 AM
Pity the poor caterpillar. Here you are, minding your own business, and this tachinid fly comes...
Tachind fly
The parasitic tachinid fly feeds on nectar in the Storer Gardens, UC Davis Arboretum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Posted on
Thursday, October 9, 2008 at
4:42 PM