Fly on coneflower - Exoprosopa decora

Moved

Moved from Bee Flies.

… Ken Wolgemuth, 4 September, 2013 - 7:22pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… v belov, 4 September, 2013 - 11:17am

Bee fly: Exoprosopa decora.

… Ron Hemberger, 4 September, 2013 - 12:45am

Feeds on plants, but

looks more like a picture-winged fly and a few of their 133 species are plant feeders.
The bee flies I have photographed never posed this long.
Those picture window wings were a significant characteristic.

… Bonnie L. Harper-Lore, 4 September, 2013 - 10:28am

I could have sworn it was a bee fly!

They're IDed by the patterns on the wings.
They feed - and rest - on flowers.

Which picture wing fly do you think looks like yours? Check the body shape, hairiness, and where the windows are in the wings.

… Ron Hemberger, 4 September, 2013 - 5:14pm

Sorry....had not seen this be

Sorry....had not seen this bee fly photo in my references and my experience with bee flies is that they move SO quickly they are hard to photograph. But the above photo fits.
I thank you....it was SO large, I just had to learn more!!! You all do great work, thank you.

… Bonnie L. Harper-Lore, 4 September, 2013 - 6:00pm

My pleasure, Bonnie.

Apology accepted, as well. I've seen many posts on that fly recently and have posted several hundred bee flies here. Next time you get a comment relating to an ID, it makes sense to check what the candidate looks like and, if you have time, who suggested it.

Since you have an interest in bee flies, you may want to check out this site, which has a unique way of organizing them by wing type. Note that these are no strictly eastern species there.

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/Bombyliidae.htm

Oh, do try to find them feeding, as some may pose a bit. (Others never stop cranking on the wings even while nectaring.)

… Ron Hemberger, 4 September, 2013 - 6:59pm