I've been paying more attention this year to insects and butterflies that visit the flower garden. At first glance I thought it looked a little like a honeybee, but then I noticed the eyes which reminded me of a fly's eyes. I posted it to an insect forum and found out that it is a type of hover fly, also referred to as a flower fly. This particular species is a tranverse banded drone fly. They are important pollinators.
When I first saw this colorful creature I thought it was some sort of bug. It turns out that it is actually Ailanthus webworm which is a type of moth. It is an invasive species originating from South America but does not cause much damage. During the caterpillar stage they eat plants as would be expected but are pollinators while in their adult stage (above).
When I first saw this colorful creature I thought it was some sort of bug. It turns out that it is actually Ailanthus webworm which is a type of moth. It is an invasive species originating from South America but does not cause much damage. During the caterpillar stage they eat plants as would be expected but are pollinators while in their adult stage (above).
