I spent years calling this insect a Hover Fly, as I had no idea what it was and I would commonly see it hovering around plants and flowers. I got bored one day and wanted to learn about this insect, so I typed Hover Fly into google, in hopes I might find something similar or a clue as to what its name might be. Turns out I had been calling it the correct name the whole time. It is actually called a Hover Fly. I was quite stoked by this. The adults of this species feed on pollen and nectar, so they play an important part in pollination. So although they dont transfer as much pollen as a bee would, they tend to visit more flowers then a bee therefore spreading pollen further and encouraging a more diverse gene pool. Also interesting to note, the larvae of some species of hover flies have quite a voracious appetite for aphids. Definitely keep these guys around in your garden.
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