Syrphid Fly on small wild flower. (Possible ID: Ocyptamus fascipennis)

I didn’t take many shots this summer relative to my usual production, but I did manage to see some interesting and novel subjects for not having put that much work or time into it. The syrphid fly pictured above is one that I have only seen once before, and was unable to really get a decent shot off. This individual didn’t take off quite as fast on me, so I was able to get some decent settings before firing away; as it happened, I still only managed a few shots, this being the best of them. It required a little extra touch up to take care of some motion blur, but I liked the result.

As for our little friend, what an interesting little fly! Very small, yet I swear with that hunk of a thorax and long, slender abdoment (and outspread wings) that it is mimicking a dragonfly! I’m not sure on the exact size, but it was about the size of your average little marmalade hover fly. I.e. not very big, certainly not close to even the smallest dragonfly. I’m still giving it an “A” for effort.

Possible ID: Ocyptamus fascipennis (link to BugGuide.net species page).