I think a great time was had by all, in spite of the rainy conditions- I know I had a blast. The Shawnee State Forest really was dripping with warblers and the forest floor was covered with blooms- it did not dissapoint. See you in 2011!
Tom
If anyone knows more about these flies that flock to wild geraniums, I'd love to know more- I've been observing this behavior each spring for several years now- their must be some really great nectar down there at the base of the flower!
Hey Tom, If you find out, let me know- as I have photos of them too! Thanks for lending your expertise to this event! Best, Cheryl
ReplyDeleteI also have pics of bugs very much like that in baby blue eyes (Nemophilia sp.) here in Calif. They LIVE in those flowers. ALways there.
ReplyDeleteTom, I am fairly sure those are Dance Flies. Jenny had told me that once before. Here is a page from Bugguide. The description with rounded head, distinct neck and tapered abdomen match, plus they nectar on flowers. Most likely genus Rhamphomyia
ReplyDeletehttp://bugguide.net/node/view/6578
http://bugguide.net/node/view/50233/bgimage
Cheryl- Janet to the rescue!
ReplyDeleteBiobabbler- Interesting, I'm not familiar with Nemophila, I'll have to look that one up
Sweet! Thanks Janet- A facebook friend thought these might be called march flies- perhaps there similar, thanks for the links, I'll take a look.