OK, they’re not from outer space, even though they look like they could be. In fact, they’re not even aliens in the biogeographical sense, since they are native to North America--870+ species of them. They are the Syrphid flies.These members of the Family Syrphidae are called flower flies for obvious reasons. They are also called yellow jacket mimics, bee mimics or wasp mimics, depending on which group of Hymenopterans they are trying to imitate. Another common name for them is "hover flies", because they—hover.
Looking like a vicious stinging insect when in fact you are a harmless lapping insect should, in theory, protect you from predation. But being too small (less than ½ inch) to really look dangerous probably makes you look like Mickey Rooney trying to mimic Sylvester Stallone. Only macro photography has any chance of making these tiny Dipterans look treacherous.
The pictured Lilliputians are filling their tiny tanks from the nectaries of one of my favorite meadow flowers, the Oxeye or False Sunflower, Heliopsis helianthoides. Shall I attempt here an explanation of the “false” in their name? Nah! Maybe next time.
(Click on the pictures to make the Rooney's look more Stallone-ish.)
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