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Flowers, bugs, birds, animals are everywhere!!!! This is my favorite time of year for photography, here in Arizona. Too much to shoot with too little time. Our new (additional) butterfly and hummingbird gardens are drawing even more diversity to our place. A butterfly sighting record occurred here on August 8 & 11 (Zilpa Longtail Choides zilpa, now in AZ record books)
First point: I'm not an entomolygist. My identifications are based on looking at various taxonomic websites and reading my different reference manuals. I do (and have…) made id mistakes. This one wasn't easy…
CJ's Desert Dwellers: Progressive Bee Fly Bombyliidae f., Exoprosopa spp.
size: 7-12 mm (1/4-1/2 in)
The Bombyliidae (bee flies) are one of the largest families of flies (Diptera), with almost 4,500 valid species described worldwide. Bee flies occur on all continents except Antarctica, however their highest diversities occur in semi-arid and arid environments. The books I have say the adults may sip nectar, as this one is clearly doing. Their mouthparts often form a beak-like projection. They can be seen hovering in mid-air or, often, resting on flowers or open ground. The larvae of Bee Flies are parasites of beetle larvae, wasps and bees and many other hole-nesting or burrowing insects.
Legs on this species are usually dark brown-to-black. Note the pollen all over the legs (especially evident in the third photo)
The insect is 'nectaring' on a "Goldeneye" (Zexmenia hispida)
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Originally Posted by slayer7124
