Hoverfly on a Western Pearly Everlasting - Rainier 6614

            Welcome to Monday's "true" wildflowers. These are flowers that I've found from Banff to L.A. most in three national parks, but some just along the highway.

Today, I give you a hoverfly whose species is unknown because nobody's going to go through 6,000 species to figure it out. More about it in two paragraphs...

This hoverfly is on a Western Pearly Everlasting ((Anaphalis margaritacea) wildflower found on a slope of Mt. Rainier in Washington state. 

There are around 110 species or Pearly Everlasting,  with the vast majority being native to central and southern Asia, but there is one species native to North America that is fairly well known and popular in cultivation, namely the western pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea). What a twofer bargain for a Monday.

The name probably derives from the common practice of drying the flowers and stems for decorations through winter months. This plant was used extensively by Native Americans for a variety of medicinal purposes.      

For Jan Magwire and the rest of you with aphids: Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects. Unlike ladybugs, you can't buy hoverflies in bulk through a nursery, so you'll have to plant plants that are attractive to hoverflies.    

Photograhpically:  This image didn't need vignetting since the background wasn't that "messy" or congested with other plants. Although dodging corners (which I perfected in high school) could have been used, shooting from "directly above," being close, fast, and wide-open seems to have done the job for me. The best way to get a vignette with many wildflowers is to shoot from above, but there aren't that many flowers that allow a top view and/or getting very close to the ground.

Taken in: United States / Washington / Snoquera (show map)

Taken on: September 20, 2012

Tags:

Pearly everlasting

wildflower

Nisqually Valley Trail

Mt. Rainier NP

Washington state

Canon SX50

Ethan

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Sets appears in: • Insects and Spiders • Wildflowers and Cultivars

Groups appears in: • Wildflowers • Mount Rainier National Park more » • Insect Photography • The Magic of Nature • Nature, wildlife, and the great outdoors • Insects and Spiders • The Beauty of Nature • Wild About Wildlife • Wildflowers (amateur only) • Cool insect photos • Insects - NO VIDEO • Wildflowers: Western Region US • Wild Nature • Earth Images Nature Photography • Insects of the World • Realm of the Insect • NATURE'S PAINTBRUSH • Insects on Flowers • Syrphidae • Nature For All: Flora & Fauna • Amazing Insects! « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, f/7.1, 1/500 sec, 150.5mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
Aperture:	f/7.1
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	150.5mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	ACDSee Pro 6
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