Today's photo is a hover fly found in my garden last summer. These tiny flies may look like some sort of bee or wasp, but they are not. They cannot sting. They are beneficial in the garden, as the larvae eat aphids and the adults help with pollination. They earn their name from the habit of hovering near flowers and then darting to a new location. According to the Texas Master Gardener Program, the hover fly can also do something most insects cannot do. It has the ability to fly backwards. As a gardener, I love hover flies because they help control insect pests and help pollinate my flowers and veggies, but as a photographer I love these tiny flies because they are so bright and beautiful.
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