Hover Fly on Fleabane

What caught my eye: I wasn’t sure what this insect was. I didn’t see a stinger but he looked like a bee. Turns out it is a common banded hover fly (Syrphus ribesii). Flies have two wings; bees always have four. If one lands on you its looking for moisture or salt. If you look closely at the end of the flower you can see much smaller insects. I don’t know what those are, but probably not fleas. The flower is Fleabane a species of Erigeron. There are 173 species of Erigeron in the US. I’m not about to guess which one this is.

Thanks Google for, bees have four wings!

Shot on: Nikon Z7 with Nikkor AF-S-micro, 105 mm, f/2.8

Camera Settings: f/11, 1/80 sec, ISO 100

Date: September 6, 2023