The #Sunfly, a type of #Hoverfly also known as The Footballer due to its stripy top! #Hoverflies look like bees or wasps, but this is protective mimicry—they don't sting. Like other Hoverflies, the Sunfly hovers or hangs in the air, and loves both damp places (where its larvae develop) and sunshine. The scientific name, Helophilus pendulus, means hanging (or dangling) marsh lover, though some say sun lover, interpreting helo, Greek for marsh, as helio, Greek for sun.

#insects #nature #wildlife

Dyma fy ffrind newydd. 'Sun fly' (Cymraeg?) ydy e. Mae'n treulio bob dydd ar bwys y pwll. Fel arfer ar garreg, ond weithiau mae'n chaso pryfed eraill uwchben y dŵr.

#natur #trychfilod #bywydgwyllt #sunfly #hoverfly

In the fall I caught this Obscure Marsh Fly (Helophilus obscurus) on a dead dahlia bloom. They are also called sun flies, hence the Latin name. The larvae feed on decaying organic matter in stagnant pools, while the adults feed both on pollen and nectar. The species is vulnerable here in Saskatchewan.

#hoverfly #marshfly #sunfly #prairieinsects #gardeninsects #dahlia #vulnerablespecies #dahlia #saskatchewan